


Mamihlapinatapei

by mxPerditus, vladamsandler



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Blood and Gore, Cigarettes, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Internalized Homophobia, Optional Ending, Optional Smut, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-04 01:25:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10264019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mxPerditus/pseuds/mxPerditus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vladamsandler/pseuds/vladamsandler
Summary: "That look across the table when two people are sharing an unspoken but expressive, meaningful moment, each wishing that the other would initiate something that they both desire but which neither wish to begin."





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating will go up in later chapters.

"He's here again."

"Don't you have some reshelving to do, Stephanie?"

"I saw him looking at your ass when you were tidying the kids section."

Robbie snaps the book shut that he was trying to focus on and glares at the pink-haired teenager giggling at him, wheeling away a cart of books. Robbie looks up over his reading glasses to see the man in question staring at him from over the reference book shelves, failing miserably at any attempt to be inconspicuous. The man drops whatever book he's holding in his frantic move to avoid Robbie's gaze and ducks out of sight.

Robbie rolls his eyes. The man had been coming around for days now, always looking like he had something to say but never bothering to approach him to say it. Whatever. Robbie actually had a job to do here, he wasn't going to worry about some strange man with social anxiety. Robbie supposes he could be a stalker, in which case maybe he _should_ worry about it, but the man hadn't actually done anything. He just hung around the library every so often, never checking out any books but always managing to make himself look busy with something.

Plus, he was... quite attractive, Robbie had to admit. If the man was interested in him and didn't turn out to be a serial killer, Robbie would probably regret scaring him off. The truth is, it was pretty difficult to find men to date in LazyTown, it was just such a small community. Robbie had spent the last few years on his own, wondering when the right guy will come along and mitigate his loneliness. He couldn't risk ruining an opportunity like this before it even had a chance to present itself.

Robbie breaks out of his thoughts, embarrassed. He's been staring at the same page in his book for a solid five minutes now, absorbing exactly none of the words. He scans the first floor from over his glasses, but the stranger seems to have disappeared.

Robbie tosses his book to the corner of the desk with a sigh. It’s been a slow day, aside from seeing the stranger again. He logs onto the staff’s desktop computer. Maybe if he does some busywork, he can forget about the handsome stranger and he can go back to being absolutely fine in his own company. 

Robbie glares at the screen. He is _fine_ on his own.

 

* * *

 

"His name is Robbie." 

Sportacus spins around from where he'd been peering through the shelves of a tall bookcase, heart beating fast from being snuck up on.

Stephanie holds back her laughter at his reaction. "If you were wondering,” she continues, “although you'd know that if you'd just go talk to him and ask." Stephanie crosses her arms and gives the man an implicating look.

"Oh, it's just you. What are you doing here, Stephanie?"

She takes a step back, suddenly wary. "How do you know my name?"

Sportacus sputters, "Uh, I um, I think I remember you from a P.E. class I taught a couple years ago at the middle school up the road...?"

"I'm pretty sure the instructor for all the P.E. classes at that school was a woman." Stephanie narrows her eyes at the mysterious man. "I don't remember you."

"Um... I was a substitute a couple of times." Sportacus hates lying to Stephanie, but he doesn't really have a choice at the moment. "I'm Sportacus," he extends his hand with what he hopes is a reassuring smile. 

Stephanie eyes the man guardedly. In all honesty, he didn't appear threatening whatsoever, but she was old enough now to know better than to implicitly trust random strangers. Despite her wariness, she takes his hand and shakes it.

"Why are you always hanging around here staring at Robbie?"

"What, I - I don't know what you mean."

She rolls her eyes. "If you like him, just go talk to him."

"I -"

"He doesn't have a boyfriend. I actually think he likes you too."

Sportacus chuckles nervously, "It's not that... He just looks familiar to me is all."

"You guys know each other?"

Sportacus turns to look through the bookcase at the librarian counter again. Robbie is still on the computer, looking bored. “Well... not quite. Sort of. Maybe.” He grimaces at himself. He needs to change the subject. “Do you work here?”

"I volunteer after school on weekdays."

"Are you... friends with Robbie?" He asks her cautiously.

"Yeah, he trained me at the beginning of last semester when I first started. Why?"

Sportacus pauses. "He's... nice to you, isn't he?"

"Yeah? I mean, Robbie can be kind of grumpy sometimes but he's probably the smartest, coolest guy in all of LazyTown. Why? What's going on? Who are you?" Stephanie was beginning to become impatient. Why is this man asking her such weird questions?

"I'm nobody. I just... remember him differently, I guess." Sportacus needs to get out of this conversation quick, before he says too much. "Maybe I'm thinking of someone else... I, uh, just remembered I have somewhere to be... Bye, Stephanie!" Sportacus gives her a quick smile and weaves through the bookcases toward the library exit.

Stephanie puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head. Weird guy. But if he’s interested in Robbie, she is going to make sure they speak to each other at least once. The grouchy librarian was always so wound up, it would do him good to go out with a cute guy for a change. She turns around and goes back to reshelving books in the adjacent aisle.

They look like they would be a cute couple. She's not sure why, but they seem like they should end up together.

 

* * *

 

Robbie is passing through the nonfiction section during his shift the next day when he sees a familiar shade of blue through the bookcase. He peers through the shelves to see the strange man poring over some book on the philosophy of space and time. He looks confused, and perhaps a bit… worried? 

Robbie clears his throat, and the man looks up, startled. "Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, if you're doing research or something, I can help you find what you're looking for." Robbie has no idea why he's feeling compelled to be helpful for the first time in his life. Probably because the guy has been wandering around this library for at least a week, looking like he has no idea what he's supposed to do about something.

Yeah, that's why.

Sportacus looks down at the book he's holding and then glances back up at Robbie nervously.

Robbie sidles up to the shelves and looks down, the book the man is holding is open to the section on theories of the multiverse. "What are you, some sort of physicist or something?"

Sportacus laughs awkwardly and tucks the book under his arm, hiding it from sight. "No, ah, just some light reading."

"Cute," Robbie responds flatly, unamused at the joke. "Well if you ever decide to stop wasting your time wandering around here looking like a chicken with its head cut off, staff are on hand to assist." He recites his librarian lines and begins to walk away, back to the front counter.

"I - I'm Sportacus!"

Robbie stops and looks back at the man through the shelves. He's smiling like he's delighted with Robbie’s curtness.

"Robbie. Pretty sure you know where to find me if you need me." He tilts his head at the other man with a disapproving look.

Sportacus blushes and breaks eye contact, looking guilty.

 

* * *

 

Later in the afternoon, Robbie recalls the unusual interaction as he’s walking out the back of the library at the end of his shift. Sportacus never came to find him at the front counter (not that Robbie had been waiting for him), nor had Robbie even seen him for the rest of the day. He wasn’t disappointed… The man probably wants nothing to do with him. Stephanie is making him over think things again, getting his hopes u-

"Hi Robbie!"

Robbie yelps and nearly jumps out of his skin.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

"Listen, ‘Sportacus’ or whatever, if you're going to take my money or stab me or something, just get it over with. I'm sick of this game."

"What? Rob-"

"You come into the library every day, not for any apparent reason, and I see you staring at me over the bookcases... Are you stalking me? Are you a serial killer??" Robbie knew he was beginning to sound hysterical, but his frustrations had been mounting for days. 

"No! I'm not - I'm not a serial killer!" Sportacus laughs. "I just need to talk to you about something and... I wasn't sure how to broach the subject."

Robbie furrows his brow and looks around the empty street. "How did you know when I get off work?"

"Uh, Stephanie told me."

Robbie begins walking away, grumbling, "Of course that pesky kid has gotten herself involved with this."

Sportacus runs to catch up with him. "She's a sweet girl. Very bright."

"Yes, I know - you leave her alone."

Sportacus laughs in surprise, "She's been coming up and talking to _me_ in the library!"

Robbie side-eyes the man and keeps walking. "Well? What is it you wanted to talk to me about? I haven't got all night."

Sportacus looks down at his feet as walks alongside the tall librarian. "Um... did I... seem familiar to you? At all? When you first saw me, or maybe when I introduced myself today?"

"No? I've never met you before in my life."

Sportacus may not be a murderer, but Robbie was definitely beginning to feel a little unsure about the motives of the handsome stranger. He makes sure to veer towards the park rather than his normal path home as the two men continue to stroll through the late evening light.

"Okay, this might sound a little ridiculous... because I swear I have never met you before in my life either... but I feel like... I know you?" Sportacus winces at how he must sound right now. "When I first saw you in the library last week... I suddenly began remembering things... that I have never experienced in this life. Things about... us."

Robbie stops walking. "I'm not sure if you're making this shit up or if you are actually deluded."

Sportacus laughs at his derision. "Please just hear me out, I'm as confused about this as you must be."

Robbie narrows his eyes at the shorter man.

"Here, just, let's sit down here." Sportacus gently guides Robbie down onto a nearby park bench and they sit with their knees turned toward each other. Robbie feels a blush curling up his neck at what a sight they must be, Sportacus holding his wrist, them sitting so close in the park facing the sunset.

"Look into my eyes. Just... tell me what comes to mind when you look at me."

Robbie stares intently at the other man. He takes in the man's fair complexion, gently sloping masculine features, his ridiculous pointy mustache, and those otherworldly-blue eyes. He was probably one of the most handsome men he'd ever laid eyes on. Robbie's blush continues to spread up to his cheeks when he suddenly feels a sense of... something familiar.

Sportacus watches Robbie's eyes slide up to his blond hair, and then back down to glance back and forth between the tips of his ears. He leans forward slightly and smiles encouragingly.

Robbie speaks slowly, "Do you normally... wear a hat?"

Sportacus' grin widens. "Not in this life."

Robbie inexplicably begins to get the impression that the other man is... athletic? Perhaps some sort of acrobat? He doesn't understand where this is coming from, he's never seen Sportacus do anything other than walk around in the library, reading books and peeking around the shelves. 

"Is this some sort of trick? Are you hypnotizing me? I don't know anything about you, how do you feel so... familiar?"

Sportacus smiles warmly at the other man, "Actually Robbie, I'd say tricks are generally more up your alley."

Robbie squints again, eyes sliding away from the other man's face as he begins to get impressions of... himself, tricking people with disguises and convoluted plots in order to get... kids to be lazy?

The sun makes its final slide down over the horizon and the silence of the deserted park falls upon the two men.

Eventually Robbie speaks, "What could possibly explain this? What do we have to do with each other?"

Sportacus turns to lean back against the bench, leg bouncing slightly. "I've been trying to figure that out for the past few days. Robbie, do you believe in alternate universes?"

"What, like parallel realities? That's your best guess?" Robbie crosses his arms. "This is ridiculous."

"I think - and this is just a theory - that you and I… know each other. In another life. Either past or... parallel."

"So what if we do? Why should I care?" Robbie levels an impatient glare at the other man.

Sportacus appears to be at a loss. "I don't know, I think it could be evidence of something really... incredible! Bigger than us! Maybe we can remember things from our other life... for a reason? I just thought... maybe we were meant to know each other in this life too," he trails off softly. His slight blush is hidden by the falling dusk.

Robbie shifts uncomfortably. Sportacus couldn't possibly be implying what Robbie thinks he is. He can't get his hopes up again. He stands and sighs, "Well, this has been fascinating Mr... Sportacus. But, believe it or not, I had things planned for myself tonight other than musing on the mysteries of the universe with a virtual stranger. Things involving food and a bed." He holds his hand out, "This has been... interesting to say the least. But if you don't mind, some of us have a job to get to in the morning."

Sportacus sullenly stands and shakes Robbie's hand awkwardly. "Right. I'm... sorry for bothering you about this. I'll keep my distance... I'm sure this was all just a big coincidence."

Robbie winces at Sportacus’ solemness. "Well, of course you're always welcome at the library. It's public for a reason, you know. And if you ever need assistance with your research... you know where to find me." There, that should do. He hadn't completely rejected the poor man. See Stephanie try to get on his case now.

Sportacus looks up at him and smiles again warmly. "Thank you, Robbie. Have a good evening."

"Yes... Good night, Sportacus." He turns and begins the short walk to his home in the adjacent neighborhood. Robbie hopes something could still come about between him and the handsome stranger, but if it wasn't meant to be, he knows he'll be fine on his own.

Just  _fine._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something that mx-perditus and I have been working on since January. It's completed now and I will be uploading each new chapter every other day or so.


	2. Chapter 2

Robbie stands frozen in the doorway of his dormitory. There on the bed adjacent to his sits a single blue duffle bag.

 _Why me?_ he thinks miserably as he slings his messenger bag across the back of his desk chair and sits down with his laptop. He opens his email and sees several unread messages, one a few days old from the university politely informing him of his new roommate. "Why me?" he groans.

The room really was too small for two people to inhabit. It was a first-year dorm, so there was barely five feet between the beds pushed up against the side walls. Each side also had a small wardrobe and desk crammed into the corners of the room. Robbie hated it. As much as he doesn't miss home, he misses the privacy and quiet of his old bedroom in the basement of his parents' house. His only reprieve from the thin walls and the filthy wing-shared bathroom on his floor was the fact that he never ended up with a roommate at the beginning of the year and could retire in moderate peace to his own private room.

Of course this was too good to last. Robbie can never catch a break.

From out in the hallway, he hears someone say, "Yeah, I think I got it all! Thanks for your help!" It was the accented voice of a young man. Robbie braces himself.

The door swings open and Robbie hears a large box deposited on the floor near the far wardrobe. "Hi, you must be my new roommate! I'm Sportacus!"

Without turning away from his computer screen, he replies, "Robbie. Charmed, I'm sure."

Behind him, Sportacus' smile wilts. Shrugging his shoulders, the boy turns to unpack his things.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Robbie mutters, "Why now in the middle of the school year? It doesn't even make any sense..."

Sportacus isn't sure if the boy is addressing him but answers anyway. "I'm on a foreign exchange from Iceland! I'll be studying here just for this semester. Well, unless I decide to stay longer," he explains with a smile.

Robbie hunches his shoulders and remains silent, resolute in ignoring the chipper boy.

Sportacus hopes this doesn't last. He was really looking forward to befriending his roommate. Especially since he was so new to this country and had yet to meet everyone on his new soccer team. With nothing left to do, Sportacus checks his watch and decides to turn in for the night. He has a big day tomorrow.

He changes quickly into his pajamas and crawls into bed before glancing over at his roommate to see the boy had put his headphones in. Regardless, he says quietly, "Well, goodnight Robbie."

Some hours later, Robbie's eyes are burning. He finally closes his laptop to go to bed. His computer is normally an escape for him during the afternoon and nighttime, but unconsciousness is just as useful during the morning hours.

He turns on a small lamp near his headboard to move around the room, but stops as he's passing between the beds. He looks down at the face of his sleeping roommate. The boy's curly hair was mussed from his pillow, head slightly turned toward the center of the room, mouth parted with his quiet breaths. Robbie suddenly feels a blush touch his cheeks. _Oh no, he's hot._

A stormy look passes over Robbie's features as small voices in the back of his mind berate him. He turns away to change his clothes and get into bed. Staring at the wall in the darkness, the voices return in his memories of middle and high school. They jeer and taunt him for his effeminacy and his drawings. Why doesn't he like sports and pretty girls like the rest of the boys?

Robbie reaches for where he keeps a small stuffed animal safely tucked in the corner of his bed and drags it up under the covers. He curls in on himself and hugs Rottenello, the black and white kitten plush his parents had given him after his cat had run away as a child. He’s held onto the little toy for years, finding comfort in it during hard times, even at university where he’s been so much happier.

He takes a few deep breaths and allows the emotions to wash over him like so many times before. The voices fade and he reminds himself that he left all of those small-minded people in that backwards town he moved away from. He’s allowed to be who he wants to be now. He can start over.

Robbie drifts to sleep listening to the soft breaths of the boy on the other side of the room. He's going to be fine. It's only for one semester.

 

* * *

 

Sportacus awakens to the quiet beeping of his watch. Quickly turning off the alarm, he hops out of bed to prepare for his first day of training with the university varsity team.

After packing his things and lacing his soccer cleats, he opens the mini fridge under the window between the desks to see if there was anything he could grab for breakfast on his way out the door. He makes a face at the two bottles of wine and quart of ice cream he finds crammed in the small shelves. He'll have to make a run to the store later today.

He closes the fridge door softly and pops down the hallway to brush his teeth. Slinging his duffle bag over his shoulder a few minutes later, he closes the door to the dorm as quietly as possible. He really wants to get on Robbie's good side eventually and waking the poor boy up at 5AM for no reason probably wouldn't put him in good favor.

He breathes in the crisp morning air as he starts his long walk to the campus fields. Sportacus loves being awake in those early morning hours right before the sun comes up. The dawn sky is a pale pink as he nears the side of campus where his teammates are already on the field stretching.

Soccer practice goes smoothly and Sportacus makes an effort to remember the names of all the smiling faces he’s met. Making so many new friends on his first day does a lot to calm his nerves about being in this foreign place, but it does not deter him from wanting to befriend his roommate. As much as he will be training with his new teammates during their daily and even twice-daily practices, he knows he will spending even more time in the small confining dorm room with Robbie. The boy cannot remain indifferent to him the entire rest of the semester, can he?

After breakfast with the team in the concourse, Sportacus stops by the grocery store just off campus and carries bags of produce back to the dormitory.

To his utter surprise, Robbie is still sleeping when he reaches their room. He checks his watch.

_10:46AM_

Wow, and he had taken his time at the store! _Oh well,_ Sportacus leaves the lights off and unpacks his food as quietly as he can, _to each his own,_ he supposes.

After his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, he notices Robbie clutching a small cat stuffed animal. Sportacus smiles at the adorable sight. He also has a better view of Robbie's face now, noting his jet black hair still mussed with product, sharp angled eyebrows, and long elegant chin. He is honestly a handsome guy, in a sort of exotic way that Sportacus could find himself appreciating.

There was something else about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on, something niggling in the back of his mind but refusing to become clear. Whatever it was, it made Sportacus worry. There was something about this boy that made Sportacus want to get closer to him... to protect him, even.

Curiosity and concern for his roommate well up within Sportacus. He really wants to spend his time here being on good terms with the boy, to befriend him eventually, but Robbie obviously doesn’t feel the same way. He frowns at the thought. _All in good time,_ Sportacus thinks and makes his way towards the door again. He takes a final look at the sleeping figure before he heads out to his first class of the day with his backpack full of textbooks.

What was it about Robbie that seemed so familiar?

 

* * *

 

The days pass quickly for the two boys as professors begin piling up the workloads of readings and paper deadlines. Their schedules were so different, they hardly ever ran into one another.

Robbie had deliberately scheduled all of his classes in the afternoon so he could sleep in as long as he wanted in the mornings, then return late in the evenings after hours of studying at the library or working in the art building on his projects.

Sportacus, on the other hand, finishes his classes in the early afternoons to accommodate double practice days. He mostly studies in the dorm room so he could turn in as soon as he begins to feel tired, usually around 8:00 or 9:00PM depending on whether he’s had morning practice and how hard he'd trained on the field and in the weight room that day.

It frustrated Sportacus to no end that he never got a chance to at least have a conversation with his mysterious roommate. Was he avoiding him or something?

Robbie is proud of himself for how successful he's been in avoiding Sportacus thus far.

The thought of being in that tiny room with the handsome Icelander (when one or both of them weren't unconscious) made him so nervous. What if he found out Robbie was attracted to him? What if he was disgusted? He couldn't take the chance of befriending the boy in case he screwed it all up (as he always did) and was stuck in that awkward situation for the rest of the semester.

Unfortunately, such a situation was apparently unavoidable for Robbie.

Some Wednesday afternoon in the late winter, Robbie sets up his easel in the main art building for his figure studies class. The students around him chatter amongst themselves in a mixture of excitement and nervousness about the assignment for the day. Robbie ignores them with a bored expression as he organizes his pencils and graphite. He was an experienced artist and classes like what was scheduled today were expected of students at this level of fine art studies.

As the door opens and someone walks towards the center of the circle of easels in the room, the voices of the students hush to quiet whispers. Robbie pulls his glasses out of his backpack and listens to the professor remind the students of their goals for the project. Robbie honestly felt so much more advanced than his peers. The art department at this university was pathetic and Robbie was probably the most talented artist to come out of his small town to study at this state university. Most of the other students took these classes simply to fill elective requirements for their liberal arts degrees.

The class quiets as students begin sketching the model, starting with general shapes and refining the outlines of the limbs to practice the shading around the muscles of the human body.

Robbie takes a moment to put his headphones in and leisurely selects his music. It will probably take much less time for him to finish this simple drawing assignment than his peers, he's in no rush. Finally, he leans around the edge of his easel to take a look at the subject, and his heart stops.

Sportacus looks up at the sound of someone snapping their pencil. He sees a student quickly move behind their easel to avoid his gaze, but before he can give it a second thought the other students ask him to move his head back into its original position. He reassumes his pose without any feelings of modesty. Nude modeling was no shame where he comes from, the human body was something to be appreciated and admired. Plus, fifty bucks to stand in a room for an hour? Not a bad deal.

Meanwhile, Robbie quietly has an existential meltdown behind his easel. He begs for this to just be some embarrassing dream he could wake up from and forget about. He slowly leans one eye around the edge of his sketchboard to confirm he is actually experiencing this waking nightmare.

Sportacus stands in the center of the room, illuminated beautifully with spot lamps to accentuate the lines of his muscles. Robbie's glasses fog up as he takes in the entirety of Sportacus' form. The boy was absolutely radiant. He looked like a demigod.

Robbie slowly leans back and stares at his blank paper. He's startled to feel a hand on his shoulder. Apparently his professor was speaking to him. He pulls his headphones out haphazardly, tries to ignore the heat in his face, and schools his expression as he turns to look up at his teacher.

"Uh, sorry. What did you say, Ms. Busybody?"

"Is everything alright, Robbie? You haven't started sketching." She whispers to him, "Remember you only have 60 minutes to complete this assignment."

"Yes, right, sorry, on it. I'm on it."

He turns back to his paper and grabs a second pencil to begin sketching Sportacus' general form with a shaky hand.

Sportacus smiles when he hears the name of his roommate. What fun! Robbie was going to draw him! He couldn't wait to see the finished product.

The hour passes agonizingly slow for Robbie. He finds himself unhappy with his work for once. He had to keep erasing and restarting certain areas due to his efforts to avoid actually looking at the subject. At the end of the 60 minutes, the professor asks the students to put their pencils down and pack up. Robbie stores away his equipment in record time and manages to escape the confining room without giving anyone a chance to speak with him. Especially anyone with whom he wished he didn't have to spend another minute looking at ever again.

 

* * *

 

Later that afternoon, Robbie sullenly picks at his food in the concourse. He'll probably have to do some sort of make-up project for the awful work he'd produced today. Luckily he was on Ms. Busybody's good side and she had endless patience for her favorite student.

Someone plops down into the seat across from him.

"Hi Robbie! So I saw you in the art class that I modeled for today. Can I see what you drew?"

Robbie drops his face into his hands and groans, "Please, god, just spare me from this conversation."

Sportacus laughs, "What do you mean?"

"Sportacus," Robbie lowers his voice and hisses at his roommate, "you were NAKED."

Sportacus chuckles again, ever so cheerful. "C'mon Robbie, we're all adults here. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big dea-? I'm not having this conversation."

Robbie abruptly stands and gathers his things. He can feel his face heating up at the memory of Sportacus' body on display for him. He needs to get away from this situation _right now._

Sportacus stands with him and smiles to ease the obvious tension. "Hey Robbie, if it means anything... I didn't mind you looking."

Robbie's face goes beet red and he desperately avoids eye contact as he races off.

 

* * *

 

Later that week, Sportacus awakens before his alarm goes off, having the distinct feeling of being watched. He squints across the room to see Robbie sitting up in his bed, back against the wall, sketching in the light of his small desk lamp.

"Hey," he whispers, "you're up early!"

"I haven't gone to sleep yet, dipshit."

Sportacus snorts at the English profanity. The people here were so creative with their language. He also hopes the familiarity from his friend wasn't just a product of the late hour. He crawls out from under his covers to sit with Robbie on his bed, moving cautiously in case he's shooed off.

Robbie sighs and rubs his eyes. At the feeling of the mattress dip, he freezes and feels butterflies crop up in his stomach.

"Wow, that's amazing, Robbie."

Sportacus gazes down at the the drawing of himself sleeping in Robbie's sketchbook. He smiles in incredulity at the care with which Robbie outlined his features. He looked so peaceful. It really was amazing.

Robbie relents to the situation and smiles bashfully. "I needed a make-up assignment."

"Can I see your other drawings?"

Robbie squirms as the nervous feeling in his stomach intensifies. "Um... sure, I guess."

Sportacus carefully flips through the pages. He's floored by what he sees. Robbie's simple sketches are masterful. Even his small doodles were incredibly life-like. He turns to a recent page and cocks his head at a strangely familiar sight. It was a drawing of a man in some sort of uniform, back to the viewer. He had a blue hat with goggles and the number 10 on his back.

Sportacus looks up at Robbie, confused. "Is this me?"

Robbie stares back equally confused. "How did you know that? You can't even see his face."

Sportacus looks back down at the drawing. "I'm... not sure."

"I had this weird dream a couple nights ago... You were, hah, a superhero. Some sort of acrobatic sports elf or something. You liked to teach children about the importance of eating right and exercising." Robbie laughs and rubs his face, god he was so tired. What is he doing rambling to his crush like this? About a dream he had about him no less. He'll probably regret this later.

Sportacus smiles. "And were you the lazy villain?"

Robbie is suddenly wide awake. "Um, yeah actually. How did you know that?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess the cat is out of the bag now, huh?
> 
> Fun fact: An /inordinate/ amount of this chapter is based on my own experiences as an art student in high school and a varsity athlete in university.
> 
> Rottenello the kitten plush is an homage to the amazing fanfiction "Talk Is Cheap" by gunsforeyes! It's a favorite of mine and mx-perditus' and we highly recommend it to all our readers.
> 
> Also "I haven't gone to sleep yet, dipshit." was borrowed with permission from this hilarious text post by bi-robbie-rotten: https://bi-robbie-rotten.tumblr.com/post/156013159053/has-anyone-made-a-sportarobbie-college-roommates


	3. Chapter 3

****Sportacus absentmindedly listens to the gravel crunch under his boots as he approaches the back door of his coffeeshop. Pulling out his keys, he suddenly feels as though the jingling noise is far too loud, like he's attracted someone's attention. He stops under the buzzing lamp that illuminates the back entrance of LazyCafé. Inexplicably, the hair on the back of his neck stands and he looks behind him sharply. No one was following him. What was with this sudden paranoia? He's never felt nervous walking in the dark to work in the mornings, he lives in a reasonably safe part of town.

He takes a couple steps to the left and leans around the corner of the building. He peers down the dark alleyway leading to the main avenue illuminated poorly with old street lamps. Squinting into the darkness, he can barely make out the shape of a figure leaning against the wall in the dim glow of their cigarette.

Sportacus watches mesmerized as the shadow drops the cigarette butt and crushes it beneath their heel. When he looks back up at their face, he sucks in a breath at the sight of them staring right back at him. He could swear their eyes were softly glowing red.

A moment later, he blinks repeatedly and finds himself staring at nothing. It was like he'd zoned out looking at an empty alleyway. He couldn't even tell if he'd seen anything in the first place. Shaking his head to dispel the memory of the unsettling mirage, Sportacus unlocks the back door and flips on the lights in the kitchen to begin the opening procedure.

Less than half an hour later, Sportacus is wiping down the countertop in silence when something grabs him from behind. He yelps and spins around, heart racing.

"WOAH, woah! Calm down, Sportacus, it's just me!"

"Oh, Stephanie," Sportacus leans against the counter to catch his breath, "I'm sorry, you just startled me."

"Startled you??" she laughs, "You nearly jumped out of your skin!" She pauses, noting his uncharacteristic pallor. "Are you okay?"

"What? Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, it's just been kind of a weird morning for me. How are you? How's school?"

Stephanie remains suspicious of her boss's strange behavior, but indulges him in idle conversation as the rest of the team trickles in before opening.

Sportacus relaxes as the day goes on. He really loves working in the front engaging with the customers. He was the kind of guy to remember his regulars' orders and greet them by name, often striking up a conversation with them about whatever they'd spoken about last time they came in. He was proud to say his little coffee shop had become a buzzing neighborhood hotspot since its opening. LazyCafé was only about a year old, but already a favorite among many people in this part of town.

Sometime in the afternoon, Sportacus hums to himself as he wipes down the counter, happily immersed in the bustling chatter of the customers and the warm smells of coffee and pastries. He's broken out of his thoughts by a hard nudge.

"Psst! Tall-dark-and-handsome, twelve o'clock!" Stephanie whispers to him before he has a chance to turn around.

He looks up and sees one of his new regulars strolling in. Smiling at Stephanie's teasing, they switch spots so he can take the man's order. She seems to have gotten it into her head that he is attracted to him or something. Really, Sportacus just thinks he’s a strangely intriguing guy, almost familiar somehow. Maybe he'd just spoken about him with Stephanie a little too often. He smiles as the man approaches the counter.

"Hi, Robbie! Same as always?"

The tall man sighs at the barista's chipper tone. He was always too cheerful, too bouncy. "Yes, that'll be fine." Robbie never actually bothered to learn Sportacus' name, although he is the only barista that ever takes his order.

"Comin' right up!" Sportacus sets to work making the most sugary drink they offer. Chocolate syrup and cocoa powder mocha cappuccino with whole milk, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles. He only ever concocted this drink for the few times Robbie had stopped by in the past couple of weeks, but he was already accustomed to the motions. Sportacus winces at the unhealthiness of the drink as he finishes spiraling the whipped cream in record time but hands it to Robbie across the counter just as he finishes paying at the register with a smile nevertheless.

"Thanks." Robbie takes his coffee with a bored expression and moves across the shop to open his laptop at a small corner table. He always sits in the same spot every time he stops by the cafe.

Stephanie and Sportacus switch back. She smiles at him expectantly.

Sportacus laughs at her intent stare, "What?"

"Well? Aren't you gonna go talk to him??"

"Talk to him? What for? He looks busy anyway."

Stephanie keeps her voice low as she chides him, "C'mon Sportacus, you don't have to play dumb with me. I know you like him. He's handsome!"

Sportacus shakes his head with a smile, "For the last time Stephanie, I'm not attracted to the poor guy. I honestly just feel like I know him from somewhere. Or something." Sportacus cocks his head in thought. Ever since the first day Robbie had walked into LazyCafé, Sportacus had felt like the man was familiar to him in some way, although he's never been able to pinpoint why. "I think we went to the same university," he tells Stephanie.

She rolls her eyes at his denial, "Well then go ask him about that!"

"Maybe another time," Sportacus laughs.

A little while later he finds himself lost in thought, gazing at Robbie's back as the man works on his computer. There was something about him that Sportacus couldn't get out of his head, nor say exactly what it was. He felt... concern for him. It was a strange urge, but it was as if he needed to help him somehow. With something.

Sportacus shakes his head. If Robbie keeps coming back, maybe he will go strike up conversation at some point. Perhaps they could be friends. He likes the idea of that.

 

* * *

 

"Same as always, Robbie?"

"Yeah, yeah." Robbie sighs again. It was already the middle of the day but he was still exhausted.

Sportacus finishes Robbie's mochaccino quickly and hands it to the man across the counter. Just before Robbie turns away with his drink, Stephanie kicks Sportacus' shin.

"Uh, hey! Robbie, could I have a word with you?" If Sportacus didn't speak with the man today, after the lecture he'd gotten from his young pink-haired employee earlier that morning, he'd never hear the end of it.

Robbie raises a brow at the barista's awkward smile and tries to hide his tight frown. "I suppose. What is it?"

"Uhh," Sportacus stands there for a second with his hands on his hips, glancing around. "Let's sit down first!" He moves around from behind the counter and pulls a chair up to Robbie's regular table in the corner.

Robbie sets his coffee down and primly sits with a bored expression. Sportacus crosses his arms in his chair and stares intently at the other man's face, really taking in the familiar features. He appreciates the long chin, beautifully arched eyebrows and dark combed hair that juxtaposed with his snowy pale skin. Sportacus feels his worry for the man crop up again in his chest as he takes in the bags under Robbie's striking grey eyes. He looked like death.

"Is there something you wanted, Sportacus?"

The barista sits in stunned silence for another moment or two.

"I've never told you my name. Nor have I ever worn a name tag at work."

Robbie looks away, annoyed. "I overheard someone call you that." It was a lie, Sportacus could tell.

"Do I know you? Did we know each other once?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You're just my barista."

Sportacus concentrates on Robbie's face. "I definitely feel like I know you."

Robbie sighs, "I would just like to drink my coffee in peace if there's nothing in particular you'd like to ask me."

"I have memories of us, Robbie. We were friends once, weren't we?"

Robbie's features darken. He stands, abandoning his drink. "We are not friends. We were never friends." He turns to storm out of the cafe and Sportacus looks up at Stephanie with a shocked expression.

She throws her hands up. _What happened??_

Sportacus shrugs emphatically and jumps up to chase after the man out the front door. He manages to catch up to Robbie at the edge of the building and grabs his shoulder to turn him around.

"Robbie! Wait! I'm sorry, I don't know what I said!"

Robbie spins and suddenly grabs two fistfuls of Sportacus' shirt. Panicked, Sportacus feels his feet nearly lift off the ground and clutches Robbie's hands in an attempt to dislodge his grip, but even with his general athleticism he couldn't budge the steel grasp of the taller man. Robbie drags Sportacus roughly deep into the alleyway and shoves him up against the wall.

"What are you doing??" Sportacus is on the verge of screaming for help, still pulling at Robbie's wrists.

Robbie smiles at Sportacus' panicked expression. He relaxes his grip slightly and leans into the shorter man's neck, pressing his nose along Sportacus' fluttering pulse.

"I knew I should've just stayed away from this stupid cafe the moment I saw you."

Sportacus is speechless, feeling a mixture of fear and bewilderment. He feels Robbie drag his face up his neck, breathing in deeply.

"You smell... _amazing."_

"What are you doing? What's going on?" Sportacus stutters when he finds his voice.

Robbie leans back with a wicked smile. The blood drains from Sportacus' face as he watches Robbie's eyes change color.

"You..."

Their space within the alleyway seems to darken around them and Sportacus is terrified to see Robbie's canines extend downward, transforming before his eyes.

Robbie's entire demeanor seems to change as well, his voice taking on a dangerous lilt Sportacus had never heard from the man before.

"Now, now. Don't be like that. I won't bite." Robbie huffs with quiet amusement and drawls gravelly, "Unless you want me to..."

Sportacus' cheeks flush almost as quickly as they had paled a second ago. Robbie smiles and leans in for another whiff.

"That's more like it." He finally releases Sportacus' shirt and smooths the fabric over his chest and shoulders. "See? No harm done."

Sportacus remains silent as Robbie steps back to light a cigarette. After a moment he murmurs confusedly, "How..."

Robbie raises his eyebrows expectantly. "Hm?"

"You're..."

"Yep."

"But..."

Robbie sighs and takes another drag, waiting for the barista to organize his thoughts. Licks of smoke rise from Robbie’s mouth as he exhales.

Sportacus stares, trying to process.

"You know I'm surprised you haven't tried to run."

Sportacus' voice wavers. "Why didn't you..." He touches his neck. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

Robbie tilts his chin up. "Tempting. Too messy. Besides, we're in broad daylight." He smiles slyly as Sportacus looks around, confused as the alleyway returns to its original brightness.

Sportacus looks up to see Robbie's features have also returned to normal, grey eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure I could resist, but you're too much fun to ruin so soon."

Sportacus gulps at the implication. He steels himself. "Robbie... how did you actually know my name." He knows the other man must've recognized him as well.

Robbie frowns, suddenly appearing to lose interest in the situation. He drops the cigarette and crushes the butt. "This old chestnut." He begins to walk away.

"Wait! Robbie, I know you know me. Because I know you. I have memories of us, even though I only met you a few weeks ago."

Robbie keeps walking away. "What makes you think I can explain it?"

Sportacus clenches his fists. So Robbie does know exactly what he's talking about.

"I don't know? Maybe because you're some sort of supernatural monster??" Sportacus huffs in frustration. "Why did you let me go? How can you be so sure I won't tell anyone what you are?"

Robbie spins and continues to walk away backwards as he raises his hands in a mock shrug. "Because I'll kill you?" He turns again and disappears around the corner.

Sportacus covers his face with his hands and takes a few deep breaths. He tries to calm himself down and move on from the situation like his life wasn't just threatened several consecutive times in the last few minutes.

When he walks back into the shop, Stephanie eagerly crowds him.

"Well?? What happened?"

Sportacus just lifts his apron over his head and continues walking towards the back of the store. "I'm heading home for the day. You're in charge, Stephanie."

Sighing with frustration and curiosity, Stephanie watches Sportacus walk away. He'll probably tell her eventually. He tells her everything.

 

* * *

 

Sportacus is lost in thought as he walks to work in the early hours of darkness the next morning. He’s still trying to comprehend what happened the day before. He thinks back to how foolish he'd been, acting stubborn just minutes after discovering the lethality of the other man. He should feel lucky to be alive. For some reason though, Sportacus trusts Robbie will never hurt him. The memories he has of the man suggest they had always been friends and... maybe even something more.

The acrid smell of tobacco has him stop dead in his tracks and whip his head around.

"I do feel the need to apologize for my actions yesterday. You must understand," Robbie steps out of the darkness of the alleyway, dropping his cigarette butt to the ground, "I was just a little hungry." He smiles at Sportacus dangerously.

Sportacus frowns at the other man. "Get in here, we need to talk." He unlocks the door to the cafe and steps inside.

As soon as Robbie's standing in the kitchen and the back door finishes swinging closed, Sportacus points at him accusingly. "What is going on between us? It's like I knew you in other lives. What is the explanation?"

Robbie looks away annoyed, "I told you, I don't know."

"You remember though, don't you? The library? The university?"

Robbie takes an encroaching step forward and smiles, "Ooh, I really liked that one." His gaze trails up and down Sportacus' body.

Heat crawls up Sportacus’ neck and flushes his cheeks under Robbie’s stare. The creature steps closer and Sportacus backs up until he bumps into the counter. Robbie's eyes burn bright red as he puts his hands down on either side of Sportacus, and he leans in so close that his nose brushes Sportacus’ cheek. He breathes in.

"Mm, exquisite."

"Robbie... focus. We need to figure this out." Sportacus' voice is shaking.

"I don't know, this life has been my favorite so far." He smiles again dangerously and leans down to lightly drag the tips of his fangs up Sportacus' neck, making him shiver.

"OOP! Sorry! Don't mind me!" Stephanie rushes to close the door and step around the men towards the front of the cafe. Her face is red, but she's holding back laughter.

Sportacus blushes and tries to shove Robbie away, but his pushes are met with the steel strength of the other man. Robbie steps away of his own accord, smiling like the cat that got the canary, eyes and teeth returned to normal.

"This isn't-"

"I was just leaving anyway," Robbie says, cutting Sportacus off.

"Oh no you don't! Stephanie, finish the opening procedure. You know what to do." He turns a hard stare on the other man. "I'll be right back."

Robbie rolls his eyes and follows him back to the alleyway. He leans against the wall as the barista paces.

"Robbie, there's something that's not right here. It wasn't until I met you that I felt like I didn't belong in this life. I can't help but feel like we need to get back... to LazyTown. Our LazyTown."

Robbie crosses his arms, frustrated with the topic. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that, sports elf?"

Sportacus puts his hands on his hips and sighs, looking at the ground. "I have no idea."

They stand in awkward silence for a moment before Robbie pushes away from the wall, pulling out his box of cigarettes. Sportacus makes a face of disgust as he watches Robbie flick his lighter.

"Those things will kill you."

Robbie looks up and smiles, "I'm already dead."

Sportacus narrows his eyes. After a moment he asks, "Why did you try to deny that we knew each other? What do you know?"

Before he responds, Robbie lazily takes a drag and blows the smoke away from the two of them. "I told you already, I wasn't sure I could resist..." He trails off dramatically as his eyes lower to Sportacus' neck.

Sportacus rolls his eyes and resists blushing under his stare, choosing instead to feel uncomfortable with the thought of what Robbie is capable of. "I think you knew that as soon we recognized each other, the memories would come back. Just like before. And as soon as we remembered... we'd move onto the next life." Sportacus was thinking aloud more than really accusing the other man of anything.

Robbie replies flatly, "It makes no difference, Sportaflop. We're stuck in this situation and there's no way back."

"I refuse to believe that, Robbie."

They hold each other's stares for a moment before Robbie sighs and turns away. The two men watch as the sun rises over the horizon, illuminating them in soft dawn light. Sportacus recalls a time he'd sat on a bench in a park with the very same man, another world away, watching the sun set in that case. Their situation at that time felt so different, so long ago. Like another lifetime. He considers their predicament and resolutely allows himself to hope that a solution would arise soon. They simply can't go on like this, moving in between lives over and over again. Circling each other for eternity.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist! I got the idea to combine the Coffeshop AU and the Vampire AU tropes from the brilliant series "Blood and Pumpkin Spice" by decadent_mousse, one of my favorite fanfictions from my old fandom. I'll add the Vampire AU tag when I upload chapter four.
> 
> Speaking of, I want to warn the readers of incoming angst. The rating is going up and I will be adding an archive warning upon the next update.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm BACK! Sorry for the impromptu hiatus. You know how it is u____u
> 
> Big shoutout to my coauthor mx-perditus for hitting it out of the ballpark with this chapter and for writing the angst for me because I don't know how to.

Pain. A dull throbbing. It is the first thing he's aware of as his surroundings register.

Sportacus slowly resurfaces into consciousness and finds himself staring at a white ceiling. He blinks for a moment, the fog clearing from his mind as his faculties return to him. He whips his head towards the presence he senses in the room, but immediately regrets it when an unexpected spike of pain spears through his skull. He yelps, squeezing his eyes shut and lying back against his pillow again.

“Hey, hey, take it easy. You’ve been out for awhile,” someone says with gentle concern.

Sportacus turns his head slower this time, searching for the source of the voice. Near his bedside, he sees a young brunette nurse in white and pink patterned scrubs. She looks like she could be around Sportacus’ height, with a round face and playful, brown eyes. She reminds him of someone he feels he used to know, but the memory is too far away.

“Good morning,” she says, breaking him out of his thoughts with a chuckle.

Sportacus smiles. “Good morning.”

“I know you just woke up, but I have to check your vitals. I hope you don’t mind,” she says with a grin as she collects a few items from the drawers in the room and loops a stethoscope around her neck. The nurse records his vital signs and takes notes on a clipboard.

One of the last tests includes her checking his pupils with a light. Her brows crease as she writes something on the paper.

“Alright, you’re all done, sir. The doctor will be here to see you soon. In the meantime, just relax.”

Sportacus nods, smiling. He rests his head on the pillow and stares at the ceiling again patiently. From outside his door he hears the nurse say, “he’s awake in room 10.” “Thank you, Stephanie,” comes a reply.

Sportacus doesn’t realize he’d started to doze off until the sound of the door squeaking pulls him from sleep. He opens his eyes to a comforting, yet puzzling sight.

Strangely familiar gray eyes look back at him from behind a pair of glasses as his doctor enters the room with a cautious smile. Sportacus takes in the gelled black hair and prominent chin that could only belong to one person and a warm feeling spreads throughout his body.

“Robbie,” Sportacus breathes, smiling instantly.

Robbie’s mouth quirks and he relaxes now that he's been recognized. “Hey, Sportacus.”

Sportacus’ eyes widen as Robbie sits down on his bed to examine his bandages. He realizes Robbie’s hands are  _ touching him _ and Sportacus feels a blush crawling up his cheeks.

Robbie quirks an eyebrow. “Good to see you’re awake and with a healthy complexion.” Robbie’s voice sounds casually amused, but it's carefully hiding underlying concern. “Are you hungry? There’s a breakfast plate with some fruit here.”

Robbie stands from where he was perched on the edge of Sportacus’ bed and rolls the side table closer. The food does look good, and Sportacus feels like he hasn’t eaten in forever. Robbie takes a seat in the chair beside the hospital bed and waits patiently as Sportacus eats.

“Robbie?” Sportacus says after a few minutes, breaking the silence that has settled over them. “Why am I in the hospital?”

Robbie gives him a smile over steepled fingers, but it falls after a moment. “You were in an accident. You experienced blunt trauma to your skull. Do you remember it at all?” Robbie watches Sportacus shake his head and stands with a sigh. “Well, just rest. There will be nurses coming by to take you in for scans. I should go.” He pauses at the bedside, looking down into Sportacus’ eyes as if there is something on the tip of his tongue.

Sportacus watches curiously as Robbie blinks and shakes his head with a small frown. He picks up the empty plate and turns to leave. Just as he’s about to walk through the door, he hesitates, then adds quietly, “Don’t forget to take the pills in the little cup.”

Sportacus nods and watches Robbie disappear into the hallway. He takes the pills with the glass of water left on the bedside table and lays down again, drifting back to sleep with a small frown on his face. There is a pang of something in the center of his chest, clearly distinguishable from the dull throbbing in his head.

His last thought before unconsciousness is that of worry for his doctor. Isn't he the injured one though?

 

* * *

 

Robbie stops outside of room 10 for a moment and takes a deep breath. He pinches the bridge of his nose under his glasses and swallows back the lump in his throat, trying to compose himself before facing the world again.

Now that Sportacus is awake it'll be harder to visit him as often. He expected that this would be emotionally draining the moment he saw his face, but Robbie knows he owes Sportacus his patience now more than ever.

 

* * *

 

Robbie is the only one who does the paperwork. Nobody else is willing to do it, so the responsibility falls on him, even though he has a hundred better things to do on any given day in the hospital. He grumbles to himself as he slouches over the tablet in his hands behind a workstation.

Robbie can hear one of the nurses talking in a quiet voice to one of her colleagues down the hallway, “...not your fault, Steph. We do the best we can, but not all patients can be saved...”

Robbie stands up from behind the counter and casts them a stern look, but they scatter to tend to their own duties before he can reprimand them. Robbie sighs to himself and sits back down in his chair. He stares unmoving for a moment at the tablet in front of him, the nurse's words lingering in his distracted thoughts.

It’s an unfortunate truth for anyone who works in a hospital, Robbie thinks to himself. He scrawls his signature on the tablet screen, submits the form, and opens another. The circumstances of their patients, however, were confidential and need not be mourned out in the open by supposedly professional employees. He swipes aggressively to submit another form.

Robbie finishes the last of his paperwork just before his pager beeps in his pocket. He stands up with a sigh and winces, back cracking. As he rounds the counter, he notices a few doctors lingering in the hallway talking amongst each other and Robbie snaps his fingers irritably. “Hey, hey! Get back to work. We can’t all be lazy.”

Robbie rushes past their frantic dispersal to get to his next patient, making a note in his head to visit room 10 one more time before the end of his shift.

 

* * *

 

Sportacus spends a lot of his time in his private room alone. He sleeps for hours most days, but often finds himself spending long spans of time simply staring out the window in his waking moments. He itches to get up and move, to run or jump. Why?

As time passes he begins to remember glimpses of past lives. He realizes with a slow crawl of dread that this must be just another one in the succession. Robbie seems to be a constant variable in all of them, however. What is his significance?

Sportacus holds his head. The memories become clearer the more he tries to remember, but one thing eludes him: How did he end up here?

Sportacus groans and rubs his forehead. Has his head always hurt like this? “Something’s wrong here,” Sportacus says to himself. He throws the covers aside and carefully scoots to the edge of the bed. He places his bare feet on the cold tile and lets himself test his balance for a moment before unsteadily walking over to the bathroom.

Sportacus looks at himself in the mirror and frowns. Does his hair usually look this bad? It needs to be washed. His blond curls are sticking up in random places and plastered to his head in others. His face is pale and his eyes a little sunken. There’s a set of bandages pressed against his temple and another that wraps around the top of his head, near his hairline. He gets a sudden morbid impression that it’s practically holding his head together.

What happened to him?

As if summoned by Sportacus’ thoughts, a nurse knocks on his door and pops her head in the open bathroom. “Hi! Doctor wants you to get a CT scan. Go ahead and get in the wheelchair and we’ll get you all set up.”

Hours later, Sportacus returns from the test groggy and mentally exhausted. He curls up on the hospital bed and cradles his head. It’s hurting more now.

 

* * *

 

Sleep comes easily to Sportacus but it doesn’t last. He wakes several times that night with head pain and eventually gives up on rest altogether. He stays up until he can see the sun peeking over the horizon through the window. He has plenty of time to nap later.

He’s mostly used to the cold, grey sterility of being in a hospital now. The first couple of days were rough, but he’s adapting to the dullness of it. He turns away from the window at the sound of someone in the quiet hallway. Sportacus reaches over to grab the railing on his bed and pulls himself upright as a nurse comes in to bring him a breakfast tray.

“Excuse me, nurse. How long do I have to stay here?” he asks.

The nurse looks up and smiles at him. “Only until you feel better. The results of the scans should tell us if you’re staying any longer.” She motions to the table beside him. “Remember to take your pills, alright, Sportacus?”

He gives the nurse a smile that doesn’t feel as genuine as it should, nodding. “Alright. Thank you.”

It becomes almost routine, waking up to the distant sounds of footsteps and machinery beeping after a fitful night of sleep. Sportacus eats his breakfast and takes his pills before stretching his legs, usually with help from one of the nurses. Sometimes he sees Robbie, either during the day while engrossed in work in the hallways or slumped in the chair beside his bed after his shift. It's comforting to wake to the doctor's company, even if the man is often asleep by then.

Today doesn't feel any different than the previous ones but the throbbing in his head has gotten worse lately. The nurse tells him she’ll let his doctor know but for now, there’s nothing they can do. Sportacus tries not to think about the pain.

Sportacus sits outside sometime after dinner, admiring the green scenery, breathing deeply. He misses being able to move around without feeling dizzy. When he gets out of this hospital, he’s going to run and cartwheel as much as he can. And finally go get some real food. Something fresh, perhaps from the spring farmers' market if he's released in time…

He's broken out of his thoughts by his doctor pulling a chair up next to his wheelchair. He smiles warmly at his friend. "Hi Robbie."

Robbie reclines in his seat and crosses his legs. "Sportaflop." They relax in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, simply happy to be in each other's company.

Sportacus has so many questions, but unsure how to approach any of them. Would Robbie even have any answers? He remains silent in his uncertainty.

"Do they remind you of them?" Robbie asks quietly.

Sportacus follows his gaze to a group of kids playing across the street in a baseball diamond adjacent to the hospital. He squints for a moment. "The children?"

Robbie levels a pensive stare at his patient. "In LazyTown."

Sportacus looks into his eyes and feels a few more memories of his home creep back. His true home. "Yeah," he sighs. He feels a pull of longing in his chest for the children there. He hopes they're safe.

Robbie watches him remember carefully. "I'm sorry," he adds after a moment. "About… last time."

Sportacus searches blurry memories. He recalls the smell of coffee and the darkness of an alleyway… And the feeling of overwhelming fear.

"I shouldn't have approached you at all. We wouldn't have moved on and you wouldn't be…" Robbie trails off, tearing his eyes away. "I was too caught up in the… power."

Sportacus' eye glaze over as he remembers the shock of being manhandled against a wall, of being overpowered for the first time ever. He blushes at the memory of Robbie leaning in close to him in the kitchen, trapping him against the counter and dragging his teeth up his neck… He's startled by the rattle of his wheelchair as something smacks against its rims. Sportacus blinks away indecent thoughts and clears his throat as a small boy runs up.

“Hi there,” Robbie greets the child with a smile.

“Hi,” the little boy says to the both of them with an awkward grin. “Have you seen my ball?”

“Your ball?” Sportacus asks curiously. He looks around and spots a baseball near his feet. He has to clutch his head as he bends down to retrieve it. “There you go!”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The boy exclaims, positively beaming as he bounces in place.

“Hey!” someone shouts. The boy turns to look behind him. A girl is waving her arm to get his attention from across the street. “Come on, get the ball!” she calls.

The boy turns around and grins at Sportacus. “I gotta go, see ya!” he says and sprints off. Robbie watches affectionately as a faint smile spreads over his patient's face.

Sportacus vaguely remembers playing baseball with the LazyTown kids… Their names slowly return to him as he remembers their faces, voices, and personalities shining through his foggy memories. They feel like a lifetime away. Sportacus wonders if he'll ever see them again. "Robbie…" he speaks hesitantly.

Robbie waits patiently, listening intently.

Sportacus sighs. "What are we going to do about this? Why are we here? How are we going to get back?" He watches the kids playing on the sports field, ignoring an insistent pain building behind his eyes.

"I don't know, Sportacus." Robbie takes his glasses off and rubs his forehead. He winces at the feeling that this is all somehow his fault. He's been struggling with a lot of guilt ever since Sportacus was admitted under his care. He finds he must keep reminding himself that he didn't cause the accident, that all he can do now is treat him to the best of his ability. It doesn't make him feel any better about Sportacus' condition.

Silence stretches between them. Sportacus wants to say more. He wants to ask Robbie why they always seem to be together in these wildly disparate lives… but the words don't come to him. He rubs his temples irritably. The pain doesn’t seem to be lessening like it usually does. It’s growing in fact, blotting out some of Sportacus’ vision with pulsating lights and auras. There’s a sudden rise of panic in his chest and Sportacus grunts, leaning over in the wheelchair.

"Sportacus?" Robbie sits up in his chair and slaps his glasses on quickly.

The pain is worse than it’s ever been. Sportacus holds his head, tears springing forth. “Call a nurse!” he hears someone shout. Sportacus shuts his eyes and all of his thoughts are drowned out by the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and excruciating pain.

 

* * *

 

Robbie calls for an emergency CT scan and potential surgery as the nurses wheel an unconscious Sportacus frantically through the hallways. He runs his fingers through his hair in his apprehension as he watches the nurses take Sportacus away, mussing his quiff. He takes a deep breath and determinedly stalks in the other direction to attend to other business.

He recalls the hospital policy against being emotionally involved with one's patients with another wash of guilt. He simply cannot take the risk of discovery. It takes all his effort not to simply abandon his other duties and spend the rest of the day pacing the hallway outside room 10.

Robbie is working on paperwork again later when Stephanie approaches him nervously. She hugs her clipboard to her chest and clears her throat quietly.

Robbie glances at her over the rims of his glasses before returning to his tablet. "Well?"

Stephanie reviews the results of the scan on the clipboard. "There's… not much hope."

"Put him into surgery."

"It isn’t going to do much," Stephanie insists.

"Do it anyway. We have to try." He levels her a challenging glare.

Stephanie holds his gaze defiantly. "Have you even told him yet?" she asks quietly.

Robbie looks away and sighs. "I'll talk to him after the surgery."

Stephanie lingers for a moment, unsure if this is the right decision but unwilling to directly disobey her superior. Robbie goes back to staring through his tablet with distracted thoughts, resolutely ignoring her presence.

Stephanie sighs and heads toward the surgical ward. It's not her place to make assumptions about her boss's adherence to hospital policy, let alone his emotional attachments. She just has to trust his authority to make the right decisions.

 

* * *

 

Robbie reads the document on his computer screen, his hand kneading his creased forehead. The results of the scan scroll by, as well as notes from the nurse and ER staff on the patient’s surgical procedure. There’s a short line at the bottom, noting the prognosis, written by Robbie hours earlier.

Robbie chews his lip. He knows it isn’t fair to keep Sportacus in the dark about this, especially since it’s about his health. He just isn’t sure he has it in him to depart this kind of news to someone who means so much to him. After a long moment of consideration, Robbie stands and makes his way down the dim hallway to room 10. Better him than someone else, he supposes.

Sportacus is asleep. Robbie almost leaves the room, not wanting to wake him but something pulls him back. He sits gingerly on the chair next to the bed and watches Sportacus. His features are peaceful, mustache twitching and eyes flickering beneath his eyelids. Robbie feels a tug of affection at the sight. He must be dreaming.

Robbie frowns at the bandages wrapped around Sportacus' head. His stomach twists with the thought of the patches that must have been necessarily shaved out of that beautiful hair just hours earlier. He wishes he could make this right. Sportacus doesn't deserve this fate.

Then Sportacus’ breathing changes and he shifts in bed, turning to face where Robbie’s sitting. “Hey,” Sportacus says quietly with a sleepy smile.

Robbie swallows back the lump growing in his throat before speaking. “Good morning.”

"Is it morning already?" Sportacus rubs his eyes and blinks at the darkness outside the window. He sits up when Robbie doesn't respond. “Robbie?” Sportacus winces as his stitches throb, leans toward him and nervously takes his hand. “What’s wrong?”

Robbie shakes his head and removes his glasses. He shuts his eyes and covers his face with one hand, leaning over his thigh. “Sportacus, I need to tell you something.” He doesn't see Sportacus’ brows furrow. “You’re… The bleeding in your head, it… they can’t stop it. They put you into surgery several hours ago but...”

Sportacus nods, slower than usual. He's suspected this, as much as he'd tried to stay optimistic over the past week. He settles back against the pillows and takes a deep breath.

Robbie drops his hand and the look on Sportacus' face drives a stake of pain into his heart. “I’m sorry,” he says earnestly. He waits for Sportacus to meet his eyes after a beat of silence. “I didn’t know it would… get to this. I should’ve done more-”

Sportacus tugs on Robbie’s hand, quieting him for a moment. "How much time do I have?" He determinedly keeps the waver out of his voice.

"I don't know. Not long," Robbie whispers, voice breaking.

"Okay," Sportacus nods again solemnly. He senses the emotionality in the other man and reaches out to pull him closer. “It’s alright, Robbie,” he says softly.

Robbie leans closer in his chair and touches his forehead to Sportacus' shoulder, blinking back tears. “Don’t… don’t say it’s alright… Please. You’re dying…" he croaks, throat constricting.

Sportacus wraps his arm around Robbie's shoulders and pulls him against his chest. “Robbie, it’s okay…" he insists in a hushed voice.

Robbie stills when he realizes Sportacus is shaking. He lifts his head and Sportacus puts on a fragile smile. He’s crying.

“I’m sorry,” Robbie says suddenly, wiping his eyes, "You shouldn’t have to comfort me. This isn't about me.”

Sportacus gives a watery sounding laugh and touches Robbie’s face, wiping a tear away. "I need you to listen to me, Robbie."

Robbie bites his lip to hold back the sob building in his throat.

“I’m glad I met you. In LazyTown. You and Stephanie and the kids… I’ll miss all of you.” His expression is warm like sunshine as he smiles at Robbie. “Your eyes are so beautiful. I haven’t told you before, have I?”

“How can you act like this is okay?” Robbie whispers. “I’m the one who caused all of this! If I had just listened to you-” His voice catches. “Why would you say something like that to someone like me? I'm your worst enemy. I'm nothing.”

Sportacus watches him, looking stricken at his words. “Robbie, I've seen you at my bedside every day since I came here. You are so kind and thoughtful, not to mention brilliant… and more talented than you'll ever know." Sportacus shakes his head at his overdue words. "We’ve been through lifetimes with each other. Don’t you think there’s a reason we’re always together?”

Robbie feels his eyes watering up with an accompanying stab of heartache. He recalls Sportacus expressing the same sentiment that day they met at the library, and the butterflies in his stomach at the implication. "We always find each other, don't we?" Robbie smiles painfully as tears begin to roll down his cheeks.

"Robbie," Sportacus smiles like he's been waiting to say these words for years, "I love you."

Robbie retakes Sportacus' hand, a scoffing laugh escaping. His heart feels it could burst with the fondness he has for this man. He loves him more than he ever thought possible.

Why does he have to realize this now?

"I love you too," he rasps, "so much."

Sportacus laughs, tears streaming down his face. He pulls Robbie toward him and kisses him gently. He cards his fingers through Robbie's long since mussed hair and caresses his cheek. “Robbie, there's so much I-,” Sportacus begins but Robbie cuts him off.

“You have to rest. You’ll just make this harder for yourself,” Robbie pleads. Sportacus watches him, mouth open as if he’s about to protest. “Please,” Robbie says, voice thick.

Sportacus’ brows knit together and he rests his head on his pillow. “I…” He trails off when he notices how distraught the man looks and instead, takes Robbie’s hand in his. “We’ll find each other again, Robbie. I trust you.”

Robbie can’t speak. He wants to tell Sportacus how much he's always meant to him. How sorry he is that they are in this situation. That he'd trade places with him in a heartbeat if it meant sparing Sportacus this unjust suffering. That he just knows, somehow, that this is all his fault. But no apologies are spoken. He can hardly bare to look at the poor man, his face is so pale now, eyes heavy and rimmed with dark bags. He doesn't look anything like the elf he knew back in LazyTown.

"I'm so tired, Robbie," Sportacus whispers after a while.

He squeezes Sportacus’ hand and he feels him reciprocate weakly. "I know, Sportacus. Just, close your eyes." Robbie's chest is tight. He doesn't allow himself to look away, to let go. Robbie quietly vows to himself that he'll never leave his side again. “Sportacus,” he begins to say, but feels Sportacus’ hand loosening in his. Robbie's breath catches, terror stabbing through him. “Sportacus?”

Robbie touches Sportacus’ cheek, hand shaking uncontrollably. He thought he was prepared for this. He feels as though a gaping hole is spreading inside his chest, his limbs going numb and cold as if he was the one lying on the hospital bed. “Sportacus!” he cries.

Sportacus is smiling faintly when his chest finally stills.

Robbie stays huddled against him for a long time afterward, letting the permeating sadness and agony wash over him again and again until there’s nothing left in his aching heart.

The hospital is dark and silent as it always is in the late hours. The quiet in the room becomes unbearable, but he remains to mourn in the time he has tonight, knowing he'll have to go back to work the next day as if this patient hasn't affected him any more than any of his others.

Robbie's eyes are sore and red when he finally decides with distant resolution that he has to finish what he started. He has to continue on without him.

It has been hours since Robbie left when he walks back to his workstation again, his face a careful mask of apathy. He picks up the tablet sitting on his desk.

A couple of the night shift nurses linger in the hallway, their voices hushed. Robbie doesn’t notice them, only hears a phrase distantly echoing in his mind. He stares at the tablet for a long time and his mask breaks, tears escaping for a moment before he recomposes himself.

He has no choice but to fix this now. Somehow.

He avoids looking at the name on the form as he writes his signature at the bottom and hits submit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience with this and for all your kind messages <3
> 
> The next update will be either Thursday or Friday. It's my favorite chapter and the climax of the story :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite proud of this one. Let me know what you think. Please enjoy.

A pure white wolf walks silently in the dead of night. To the human senses, all is silent under the blanket of stars in the sky. But to her twitching ears, the forest whispers to her. There is an intruder.  
  
She raises her snout in the cold breeze and catches the smallest trace of blood. Her feet deftly carry her deeper into the forest before she gives a second thought to the foreignness of the scent, and her eyes glaze over as she trains all her senses to zero in on the origin of the disturbance. Whipping past low hanging branches and diving over gnarled roots, her heartbeat pumps through her limbs as she races farther than most creatures would dare to venture into the dark woods.   
  
The life of the forest buzzes louder with anger and fear the nearer she approaches the scene. The creatures around her seem relieved that someone has finally come to address this problem. The wolf blinks her eyes wide in order to capture as much reflecting light as possible to identify what she finds underneath the wide trunk of an ancient tree. She cocks her head to the side as her nose says kin, but her eyes say human.   
  
A man lies curled in on himself on the forest floor. He's shaking in his fitful sleep. His pale skin is marred by splashes of red blood, caking his hands and face. The white wolf comes to her conclusions and makes the decision to bring the man back to her home. She struggles to balance the adult human on her back as she trots back in the direction she came, but she knows this will be something her master will want to see. He'll be pleased by her initiative. 

 

* * *

 

Sportacus awakens to an all-encompassing dull pain. His limbs ache and his skin feels too tight. He shivers in the cool air due to the thin sheen of sweat covering his entire body. Where are his clothes? He moves to sit up straighter but groans at the stiff pain in his shoulders and the chafed skin on his wrists. His fingers tingle from a long absence of circulation as he takes stock of the thick chains and cuffs holding his arms diagonally up in the air. Blinking his eyes, he fails to find familiarity in his surroundings.  
  
The chains hold him in place as he kneels on a pile of fresh hay spread out over a cobblestone floor. Through the dim moonlight filtering in from somewhere up behind him, Sportacus can see that he's been strung up in some sort of small dungeon. He begins to panic as he realizes his vulnerability. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he sees a sort of spectral figure crouching against the far wall. Upon further investigation, he can see that the figure wasn't a ghost at all, but an extremely pale young girl.   
  
Her hair is pure white and hangs straight down around her face. The only natural color in her appearance at all seems to be her small pink lips and her red irises, eyes that he finds trained on him in wonder.   
  
Sportacus makes an attempt to speak but finds his throat scratchy and dry, like he had been screaming hours ago. He clears his throat and tries again. "Who are you?" he whispers.   
  
The girl stares at him unmoving.   
  
"Where am I?" he asks. At her continued silence, he sighs and tries one last request, "May I have some water? Please."   
  
The girl stands gracefully and leaves the room through the passageway in the right corner. Sportacus waits, hoping she returns. A couple minutes later the girl reappears with a small tin in her hands. She approaches the man slowly, then gently tips the water into his mouth. Sportacus drinks all of it quickly, feeling more parched than he expected.   
  
"How long have I been here?" he asks, voice a little stronger now.   
  
The girl stands before him, head cocked to the side. Her nose flairs intermittently, seemingly taking in his scent. She finally speaks with a quiet voice, "You slept all day." She pauses, eyes flicking to the chains. "One more night like this, he thinks."   
  
Sportacus furrows his brow in confusion, "He? Who's he?"   
  
The girl smiles, "Master! He kept you like this to protect you."   
  
"Protect me from what?" Sportacus asks nervously.   
  
"Yourself," she replies, as if it were simple. She turns and exits again silently.   
  
Sportacus hangs his head. He's completely helpless in this condition. Hopefully when the sun rises, he'll be released from this uncomfortable position.   
  
He finds the hours pass slowly. The girl returns a few times with more water and some bread. She no longer responds to any of his questions. Sportacus dozes a bit towards the end, awakening to pale dawn light softly illuminating the cobblestones. The light feels warm on his back and he finds the cold sweat and dull aching has subsided, except for in his shoulders. He lifts his head at the distinct feeling he isn't alone.   
  
The young girl has returned, yet this time shyly concealing herself partially behind a tall cloaked figure. Despite the light in the room, the person's face remains concealed in shadow beneath the hood of their thick, dark purple robe. Sportacus nervously appraises his captor. Before he has a chance to speak, he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand with the nearly imperceptible feeling of electricity in the air. His arms fall to his sides painfully, cuffs and chains suddenly disappeared. Sportacus cries out with the movement and falls forward onto one shoulder. He takes a moment to catch his breath as the blood rushes back into his hands. When he sits up, the cloaked figure is gone and the girl is watching him again.   
  
"Who was that? Is that your master?" he asks frantically.   
  
The girl only smiles and proffers forward the clothes in her arms. Sportacus changes slowly into the surprisingly quality garments, limbs creaking with disuse, and follows the girl as she leads him out of the room holding his hand. They ascend a stone staircase into a wide hallway with large windows lining the walls. The two walk for a few minutes through more passages of what appears to be an old but well-kept castle. Sportacus looks around in wonder. He's never seen such opulence in all his years working on his family's small plot of land outside the village.   
  
The young girl finally leads him into what appears to be a large dining hall. A long table centers the high-ceilinged room, lit from above by stained glass windows warping the sunlight shining through. Sportacus is seated at the farthest head of the table, next to the only other place setting made up amongst all the other chairs. The girl smiles at him and motions him to stay put before she scampers off in excitement.   
  
As he waits, Sportacus tries to come to terms with his situation. He must have been kidnapped from his farm, it's the only explanation for his awakening in the dungeon of a strange castle. The questions he cannot answer are by whom? And why? Who is the cloaked figure and what do they want with him?   
  
He rubs his face in frustration and exhaustion. He just wants to go home.   
  
The child returns with a large platter of food a few minutes later. Sportacus quickly forgets his concerns as the smell of fresh porridge makes his stomach growl. He realizes he probably hasn't eaten in over a day and wastes no time finishing off the entire spread of breakfast that has been laid out for him. The girl watches with a pleased face and moves to clear the table once he's finished.   
  
"Please, allow me," he says, feeling uncomfortable allowing the child to dote after him. He places all the dishes and silverware on the platter and follows the girl into the kitchen.   
  
"Who are you? Why am I here?"   
  
She smiles at him. "I'm Stephanie. I found you in the blackheart of the forest and I brought you home!"   
  
Despite her enthusiasm, Sportacus feels the blood drain from his face. What was he doing in the blackheart of the woods? No one in the entire village has ever dared to venture so deep. Supposedly the ancient foliage of the blackheart grows so tightly together that the canopy completely blocks all light from reaching the forest floor. Legend says the plants that far in have adapted to the darkness and continue to grow without sunlight. Sportacus shakes his head, putting the thoughts of the dark wood out of his mind.   
  
"Stephanie, is the man in the purple robe your master?"   
  
She smiles and nods, looking up at him.   
  
He kneels to her eye level and asks seriously, "What does he want with me? Why am I here?"   
  
Her expression sobers. "You have the curse of the moon, brother. My master can help you as he's helped me!"   
  
Confused, Sportacus asks, "How did he help you?"   
  
"I was lost in the forest as a pup, just like you were lost in the blackheart. He brought me home and gifted me this form. He saved my life and took me in as his own. He will save your life too!"   
  
Sportacus pauses to take in the new information. So the girl was some sort of shapeshifter? He can imagine why the poor child may have been abandoned. His village would have vilified her simply for her appearance, let alone her magic abilities. He furrows his brow at the last bit of information, however. His life is in danger? After surviving the blackheart, he can't imagine what else could be threatening him. What is the curse of the moon?   
  
The girl speaks again, capturing his attention. "I've been so long without a new friend. Won't you come play with me?"   
  
He smiles, "Sure, Stephanie." He supposes he owes her his life first and foremost for somehow extracting him from the dark wood. The least he can do is comfort the lonely child.   
  
She takes his hand and excitedly leads him through the castle to small doors opened to the gardens outside. When she lets go, she bounds forward onto the grass and transforms into a wolf with blinding white fur. Sportacus stops in his tracks, eyes wide in amazement. He's never seen such magic up close before, it's astounding. The wolf crouches playfully and wags her tail. Laughing, Sportacus chases her through the garden into a field of trees. He loses sight of her amongst the rows of the orchard. He almost doesn't notice it at first, but the trees are changing around him. He steps closer to investigate and his eyes go wide in wonder and curiosity.   
  
The trees in the orchard shift through their phases every few minutes. He watches before him as the leaves change color and fall, disappearing in the air, then the branches bud and bloom soon after. The cycle continues as he stares in amazement. He's broken out of his concentration by a pinch on the back of his calf. He spins to see the wolf bouncing away and wagging her tail again, tongue lolling out of her smiling jaws. He runs after her into the garden, laughing.   
  
He spends the rest of the day with Stephanie, only coming inside to eat and take breaks from running around in the soft grass. She has endless energy and he enjoys playing with her in the shade of the orchard trees. He hasn't had a day off from plowing the field at home since the winter. It was nice to finally have time to relax and laugh with a child.

As the sun begins to set, Sportacus ends up beginning to doze off under a cherry blossom tree. He gently strokes the wolf's soft fur as she falls asleep with her head in his lap in the evening light. He lets his mind wander as he watches the pink blossoms fade and reappear again and again. As his eyes get heavier, he hardly notices the feeling of electricity in the air before he blinks his eyes wide, suddenly finding himself indoors. Stephanie is gone and he's leaning up against the foot of a bed, sitting on a thick carpet before a crackling fireplace.   
  
Sportacus stands warily and looks around. The cloaked figure steps through the doorway and Sportacus feels his hair stand on end.   
  
"Who are you," he demands quietly.   
  
A man's voice responds, slightly deeper than his and lacking his accent. "I cannot say. Not yet."   
  
"Please tell me why you've brought me here. What is the curse of the moon?" Sportacus struggles to remain calm in the face of a man with evidence of immense powers.   
  
The man sounds sad. "I keep you here to protect you, Sportacus. Your village hunts for you. They seek to end your life."   
  
"Why?" he asks nervously, hearing that the stranger already knows his name and origin. Why would he be hunted by his friends and family? People he's grown up around and with whom he's traded goods every summer for years?   
  
"You are cursed by the full moon. Its beams transform and enrage you. The night Stephanie brought you here... you were covered in blood. I'm so sorry." He pauses, voice sounding sorrowful and sincere, "Sportacus, you're wanted for murder."   
  
"No, that can't be." Sportacus takes a step back and feels his heart rate pick up. "I've never raised a hand against another in my life."   
  
"I'm sorry." The man in the cloak doesn't move to comfort him although his voice reflects his pain. His face remains shrouded in the obfuscation spell under his hood. "Please, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. My home is yours for asylum. I want to help you."   
  
Sportacus holds his head and stares at the ground. He can't process what the man is telling him, fearing what he says is really true. He can never go home.   
  
"I believe I can cure you, but you must give me time. Please stay here where it is safe." The man continues through Sportacus' shocked silence. "I will work in the library to find something that can help you, but you must be patient. Your curse is an old one. An ancient spell I am unsure I can even break. I will try though."   
  
Sportacus looks up towards the man at the sound of fierce determination in his voice.   
  
"I can _fix this."_

 

* * *

  
  
Over the next few nights, Sportacus sleeps fitfully. He dreams of the man's voice speaking to him in his memories. How did he know Sportacus' name?   
  
Every so often he also has nightmares of that fateful night, of which he has no conscious memory. He sees himself attacking his friends and neighbors, clawing through their flesh like wet paper, destroying everything in his path. On those mornings he awakens in a cold sweat, unsure if his dreams are forgotten memories or concoctions of his subconscious fears.   
  
He spends as much time with Stephanie as he can in order to forget the horrors that plague his mind. Her bright smiles and melodic laughter keep fears of murderous crimes at bay. They play together in the garden most days, her wolf form being less susceptible to the harsh summer sun. Some days they simply walk together under the shade of the shifting orchard trees, laughing and talking about life outside the castle. Her company brings him a peace he cannot find in himself.   
  
Weeks pass and Sportacus hasn't seen the man in the purple robe again since their encounter. He presumes he is working in the library like he said, searching for an answer to Sportacus' moon curse. He feels grateful for his hospitality and determination to help, but often finds himself inexplicably worrying after the man. Chalking it up to the realization that the two people living in this castle seem to have little to no contact with the outside world, he assumes he just feels guilty at the thought of such a lonely life for such a kind recluse.   
  
Sportacus and Stephanie soon branch out from the castle grounds, bored with what little the space had left to offer them. They explore the wild brush outside the castle walls and hunt small prey on the prairies out further than that. It is a warm overcast day a few weeks after Sportacus' arrival and they are tracking a particularly keen rabbit on the low grassy hills of those prairies when Sportacus feels it. A strong pang of concern in the center of his chest. He straightens from the stalking position that Stephanie had taught him, scaring off the prey. Stephanie lifts her head over the sprigs of dry grass as well, sensing his fear.   
  
Sportacus looks over at her, feeling an urgency to move. "We have to go back. There's something wrong."   
  
The wolf watches him for a moment before she takes off running back toward the castle in the distance. Sportacus chases after her, struggling to move as dexterously over the untamed ground on two legs as she does on four. He loses sight of her just as they reenter the castle grounds, but follows the sense of concern in his chest. He snakes through corridors inside, catching his breath, searching for the library. In a deep corner of the stone structure, he hears the whines of an animal seeking to comfort. He follows the sound into a quiet study, darkened by the lack of sunlight coming through the stained glass windows that rise up over the tall bookcases. Sportacus descends the spiral staircase at the entrance of the large room and moves cautiously toward the far wall.   
  
Stephanie sits at the edge of an armchair facing the low lit fireplace. A hand halfheartedly strokes her head as her tail twitches in concern and she whimpers quietly. Rounding the back side of the chair, Sportacus hears the distinct sound of muffled sobs from the cloaked man. Stephanie backs away as Sportacus kneels in front of the seated man, face pulled into a look of deep concern. He gently moves the hood back off the man's face, and gazes in wonder upon a strangely familiar sight as the obfuscation spell is broken.   
  
Sportacus stares deep into red-rimmed eyes, seeing memories flash in his mind as he falls into two striking grey irises.   
  
————————————   
  
_"What are you, some sort of physicist or something?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"No, ah, just some light reading."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Cute."_   
  
————————————   
  
_"Sportacus, you were NAKED."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"C'mon Robbie, we're all adults here. What's the big deal?"_ _  
_ _  
_ _"What's the big dea-? I'm not having this conversation."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"Hey Robbie, if it means anything, I didn't mind you looking."_   
  
————————————   
  
_"Those things will kill you."_ _  
_ _  
_ _"I'm already dead."_   
  
———————————— 

_"I'm so tired, Robbie."_

_"I know, Sportacus. Just, close your eyes."_   
  
————————————   
  
Sportacus gasps at the onslaught of memories from past lives. He feels tears of his own on his cheeks as he looks into Robbie's eyes.   
  
"I'm sorry," Robbie croaks, "I thought I could fix this."   
  
Sportacus edges as close as he can into the front of the chair and pulls Robbie into his arms to comfort him.   
  
"Shh, it's okay Robbie." He tries to blink away his own tears as Robbie clutches him.   
  
"You don't understand... This is all my fault. I put us here. We're trapped like this because of _me."_   
  
Sportacus leans back and holds Robbie's face in his hands.   
  
"What are you talking about?"   
  
Robbie's self hatred rolls off of him in waves. He steels his gaze into Sportacus' face, not allowing himself to escape this any longer.   
  
"In LazyTown, I built a machine to transport you to another plane. To get rid of you once and for all."   
  
Sportacus winces at Robbie's words, but holds his gaze listening intently.   
  
"But it malfunctioned. I trapped us in these alternate realities somehow. Our consciousnesses are floating through past and parallel lives, moving on to the next when we recognize each other and remember."   
  
Sportacus moves one hand from the side of Robbie's face to wipe a tear sliding down his cheek. He smiles softly, caressing him.   
  
"It's okay Robbie, I forgive you."   
  
Robbie's face twists in confusion. It was seemingly a response he was not expecting.   
  
"Sportacus, we're trapped. Forever. I've spent the entire month trying to find some way to send us back with the powers I have in this life, but it's not going to work."   
  
Sportacus laughs, "It's okay, Robbie."   
  
Robbie's expression darkens. He pushes the other man away and stands, facing away from him.   
  
"You don't understand. I can't do this anymore. I watched you-" He hunches his shoulders, words cut off by a choked sob.   
  
Sportacus moves forward to comfort him, feeling the pang in his chest again. "Robbie, please. It's oka-"   
  
Robbie spins and leans over Sportacus, using his height like he's never had before.   
  
"I watched you die, Sportacus!" He quickly covers his face, struggling to maintain what little composure he has left. The feelings of mourning he was unable to express before come flooding back to him.   
  
Sportacus' thoughts return to the hospital. He recalls holding Robbie's hand with a smile... and then nothing. He feels an overwhelming sadness at thought of Robbie at the bedside of his lifeless form. He quickly moves forward to hold Robbie in a tight hug. They stand like that for a few minutes, Robbie shaking with broken sobs and Sportacus squeezing his eyes closed, holding him in a strong embrace. When Robbie's weeping subsides, Sportacus speaks softly but firmly.   
  
"Robbie, I want you to listen to me. You didn't mean for this to happen. This isn't your fault. I love you, and I am going to be by your side through every life we live together. I am always going to be here." Sportacus leans back to look into Robbie eyes with a hard stare. "I will always be right. Here. Do you understand?"   
  
Robbie's stomach twists at Sportacus' words. Doesn't he understand that everything that has befallen him in these lives is because of Robbie? Does he even remember the fate of his victims in this life? Robbie's face crumples and he presses into Sportacus' neck, finally wrapping his arms around him to reciprocate the embrace. He's done all he can. There's no fixing what has happened now. He concedes to the undeserved forgiveness with a sick feeling in his gut.

Sportacus continues to soothe him, pressing kisses into his hair and hushing his sobs. Eventually they move back into the armchair, squeezing in together as the fireplace begins to die and the study dims in the evening light. Stephanie is nowhere to be found, presumably retreating to give the men some privacy. After a long silence, Sportacus speaks to the man in his arms.  
  
"So this is what you've been doing in here these last few weeks? Searching for a spell to send us home?"   
  
Robbie speaks with a wince, "There is no cure for your curse. I had been hoping to find something that could send us back to LazyTown before the next full moon, but..." He trails off and Sportacus stiffens with a realization.   
  
He's going to transform again.   
  
Robbie continues, "But, what I've found will not work."   
  
Sportacus sits up, dislodging their position. He looks into Robbie's eyes with urgency. "Wait, you found something?"   
  
Robbie tears his eyes away. "I found an old incantation in an ancient tongue. It's more of an exorcism than anything. I may be able to return our roaming consciousnesses to their rightful bodies with the spell but," he stops speaking and refuses to look at Sportacus.   
  
"Robbie." Sportacus urges him. "But what?"   
  
"It requires the light of the full moon." He looks back at Sportacus with a hardened expression. "You'll kill me before I can finish it."   
  
Sportacus' eyes widen at the thought and he looks away as they glaze over. Images from his nightmares return to him, except with Robbie in place of his neighbors. He sees visions of the bloodied corpse of the man he loves, shredded nearly beyond recognition. He hears someone saying his name but isn't broken out of his thoughts until he feels a hand on his cheek. Robbie turns his face towards him.   
  
"Sportacus? Sportacus, are you alright?"   
  
Sportacus blinks, taking in the sight of Robbie alive and breathing. He leans forward and kisses him desperately, trying to forget the horrors in his mind. Robbie reciprocates with all the feelings of sorrowful guilt that have built up during the weeks he's spent watching over Sportacus, wanting nothing more than to hold him in his arms but refusing to reveal himself in order to complete his research. This sacrifice left him feeling even lonelier in the past month than in the time before Stephanie came into his life.

When they separate, they press their foreheads together. "There must be another way. Robbie, please," Sportacus whispers.  
  
Robbie places his hand over where Sportacus holds his head. "I'm sorry." Fresh tears leak from his closed eyes.   
  
Sportacus furrows his brow in a wave of frustration. He moves Robbie aside gently and stands, pacing in front of the dim fireplace. Robbie slumps dejectedly in the armchair, waving his hand lazily to relight the embers.   
  
"When is the next full moon?"   
  
"Tomorrow night." Robbie stares into the fire as he speaks. "Whether or not we attempt the incantation, you will have to be rechained in the dungeon by the late afternoon. You will feel the effects of the curse for two nights, maybe three. That is, if our minds don't move onto our next life by then."   
  
Sportacus stops pacing and looks at Robbie. "The window. There's a window in the dungeon. The moonlight can shine in through there and we can do the incantation while I'm chained up."   
  
Robbie frowns angrily at him. "Those chains are simply a manifestation of my will. If I'm focused on a different, much stronger spell, there's no way to tell if the magic will be enough to restrain you."   
  
Sportacus holds his palms out in futility. "What other option do we have? Robbie, this may be our only chance of ever returning to LazyTown."   
  
"If I am standing in that room when the light of the full moon strikes your skin, you are going to go straight for my neck. You have no idea how powerful you become under this curse."   
  
Sportacus stands in front of the chair and stares down at Robbie's challenging eyes. "We have to try. Reinforce the constraints with physical chains, charm the space to hold me back, do something!"   
  
Robbie looks into the other man's frustrated expression. He knows this plan is hopeless. He also knows this is very likely their last shot at ever returning home. He thinks of Sportacus in the hospital bed, remembering the feeling of watching his soulmate being torn from him despite all his efforts to save him. He rises from the chair, holding Sportacus' gaze as they stand close. They have to at least try. He hold the back of Sportacus' neck and kisses him again fiercely.   
  
He cannot give up. He has to fix this.

 

* * *

  

"There will be a full moon tonight." Sportacus speaks quietly as he watches small pink buds bloom into white flowers before the petals wilt and float downward.  
  
"It's okay to be afraid, brother. I will watch over you, like before." Stephanie follows his gaze upwards as the apple blossoms give way to small fruits, changing from green to bright red in less than a minute. They lean against the trunk on the far side of the orchard, waiting out the hot sun as it starts its descent in the early afternoon sky.   
  
Sportacus frowns as the apples rot and fall, disappearing in the air before they can reach the ground. "Stephanie," he looks down at the girl under his arm, "It's too dangerous. You can't be there when the moonlight touches my skin."   
  
Her eyebrows pinch in confusion and he looks away. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I could hurt you," he says softly. He doesn't say what's really on his mind, ignoring thoughts of snow white fur stained by dark red blood. He realized this may be his last day with Stephanie in this life after spending a sleepless night wondering what will happen if Robbie's spell works. He hopes the dormant consciousness for this body can remain here with her at the castle, learning to live with his curse with the help of the kind recluse.   
  
He dares not consider what could happen if Robbie's spells fail.   
  
"I trust you, brother," her soft voice breaks Sportacus out of his thoughts and he looks back down.   
  
"Stephanie, please." He holds her cheek in his hand, speaking sternly. "Promise me you'll stay away from the dungeon when the sun sets. Just for the next few days."   
  
She looks into his eyes with a small pout for a few moments before nodding reluctantly. She tucks her head into his side and hugs him.   
  
Sportacus wraps his arms around the girl and tries to ignore the clammy feeling in his hands. "You know," he says with a smile, "I bet I can find the end of the hedge maze faster than you."   
  
"You can try!" She laughs as she stands up and bounds away, jumping onto four legs as she reaches the edge of the shaded orchard. He hops up and chases after her laughing. They spend the rest of the afternoon playing like it was his first day in the garden again.   
  
Hours later, Sportacus finds himself losing his breath sooner and taking longer and longer breaks from running around with the wolf. He looks up from his bent over position during one such pause and sees Robbie leaning in the doorway to the castle, watching him sweat and pant. He winces as he limps toward him, the aching pain returning in his legs. Stephanie bounces up next to him just as he reaches the lengthening shade of the stone walls and returns to her human form, looking up at Robbie with a smile.   
  
Without uncrossing his arms he smiles back at the girl, but speaks seriously when he turns to Sportacus, "The sun will set within the hour. You should have something to eat now."   
  
Stephanie grasps Sportacus' hand and takes Robbie's with her other, leading them to the dining hall together. The three chat idly over the meal she insists on serving them herself. Excited to finally set a third place at the table, she swings her pale legs under her seat and glances back and forth between the men she loves.   
  
Sportacus however senses the underlying tension in Robbie's tight smiles. He trusts that the man had been reviewing his incantations all day, but still feels the urge to ask if he's ready for the ritual tonight. He resists.   
  
After they clear the table together, Robbie helps Sportacus to the dungeon, putting the shorter man's arm around his shoulders despite his insistence he didn't need help walking. As they reach the bottom of the stone staircase in the dungeon, he releases Sportacus to enter the small room through the passageway and turns to kneel in front of Stephanie.   
  
He holds her shoulders and gazes into her eyes with a serious expression. "Stephanie, I need you to listen carefully. Whatever happens tonight, whatever you hear... You cannot unlock the door until the sun rises in the morning.   
  
"Okay," she replies, unnerved by her master's grave tone. "You’re staying inside with him?" She pouts at the unfairness.   
  
Robbie pulls her into a tight hug, schooling his features. "I can protect myself. I don't want to have to worry about your safety too in case anything goes wrong."   
  
She pulls away to look into his face in confusion and fear, tears welling in her eyes. "What could go wrong?"   
  
Robbie simply smiles gently at her sweet naivety. He brushes her pale cheek before kissing her on the forehead and standing to move into the passageway. Stephanie suddenly pushes past him and runs to Sportacus, who falls backward into a sitting position from where he was already half kneeling in the hay, arms full of the small girl. He smiles and hugs her tightly, kissing her colorless hair. Robbie watches from the doorway with a pained expression. Stephanie finally walks back into the passageway and gives the two men a final, worried look before closing the door and locking it with a distinct clunk.   
  
Sportacus remains on the ground near the back wall, skin shining with sweat. Robbie watches him breath hard as the evening light continues to dim through the small window above him.   
  
"How are you feeling?"   
  
Sportacus grunts, "Like there's something crawling under my skin."   
  
Robbie frowns in concern. "Are you ready?"   
  
Without responding, Sportacus rises to his knees into the familiar position and slowly lifts his arms over his head. He momentarily feels a subtle spike of energy in the air before thick chains and cuffs pick up part of his bodyweight. The men wait in silence for awhile, Sportacus panting slightly as he watches the faint dusk light slide up the far wall before dimming entirely. He squeezes his eyes shut and ducks his head as small tremors run through his limbs. The next time he opens his eyes he finds the room lit by hundreds of small candles lining the cobblestones. Their soft purple flames cast wavering shadows on the walls. Sportacus looks up to see Robbie watching him carefully. The other man moves forward and kneels in front of his shivering form.   
  
Robbie takes in Sportacus's haggard eyes and damp skin with a deep frown. He holds the man's chin and kisses him softly.   
  
"I love you."   
  
Sportacus blinks back tears as he clenches his teeth against a growl rolling in his chest, unable to respond.   
  
Robbie's throat constricts as he watches him struggle. "It's time. Just breath, I'm going to start."   
  
Robbie moves back to the other side of the room and kneels as well.  He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and begins reciting the incantation he'd spent hours memorizing earlier that day. As he speaks the ancient language, he hears Sportacus' panting and grunting getting louder. He raises his voice and opens his eyes to watch the clouds move across the night sky in the high barred window. With the flick of his wrist he brushes aside the obstructions, allowing the moonlight to shine down into the small room. He squeezes his eyes shut again, a few tears escaping as he hears Sportacus scream.   
  
He continues chanting louder as he reminds himself exactly why he's doing this. For whom. He thinks of the Sportacus he knows from home, back in LazyTown. His infuriating acrobatic stunts, his disgusting affinity for 'sportscandy'. Robbie smiles to himself at the memories as he hears screams turn into snarls and the sounds of clothes ripping. With tears streaming down his face, he starts yelling the final portion of the incantation.   
  
He's doing this for his arch-enemy and the love of his life. He belatedly realizes he'd do anything for him. Even die for him.   
  
With that last thought, Robbie hears the distinct sound of chains snapping over deafening howls. He finishes the incantation just as he feels rows of sharp teeth close around his neck.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay here is the conclusion of Mamihlapinatapei! It's mostly just to wrap up the story.
> 
> Rating has been bumped to Mature because I added a smut scene at the end, but it is completely optional. If you don't want to read it the story can end at the second break!

"I think they're dead."  
  
"They're not dead. Trixie, stop poking Robbie with that stick!"  
  
"Do you think Sportacus left the airship to me in his will?"  
  
"Uh, guys..."  
  
Sportacus sits up straight with a loud gasp. He faintly hears his crystal beeping frantically over his heaving breaths.  
  
"Sportacus! Are you okay?"

Sportacus looks up at the familiar voice and sees Stephanie looking at him with concern. Before he can even begin to rejoice at the sight of the LazyTown kids gathered around him, he gasps, "Where's Robbie??" He looks around frantically and sees the unconscious man lying a few feet away. He scrambles across the ground and kneels over Robbie in a panic.  
  
"Robbie? Robbie, can you hear me?" He grasps Robbie's vest just to have something to hold onto. He feels his throat constrict as the incessant beeping continues without any signs of life from the man. "Robbie, please wake up." His voice cracks as he leans over the body and he squeezes his eyes shut against imminent tears. His last memory is of lunging across a small space to tear the man apart. He clenches his teeth at the bloody images in his mind and the echoing sounds of his own howls.  
  
"Get off me, you stupid sports elf," he hears grunted from underneath him. Sportacus sits up with surprise in his reddened eyes.  
  
"Robbie!" he cries. The crystal's beeping finally stops and Sportacus suddenly remembers their audience.  
  
"So what happened, huh?" Ziggy inquires.  
  
"Yeah we found you guys out cold, lyin' on the ground here!" Trixie pipes up.  
  
Sportacus smiles and blinks away the dampness in his eyes, overwhelmed with the feeling of seeing all the children of LazyTown again and with knowing Robbie was finally safe.  
  
Robbie grumbles as he stands and brushes off his pinstripe suit. "Your wonderful hero here completely ruined my ingenious plan, once again. Look what he did to the machine I'd spent all night working on! He must've knocked us both out with his flipping tricks!" Robbie growls at the group and moves away to gather broken pieces of some contraption sitting nearby.  
  
Sportacus remains kneeling as confusion breaks over his features. He's silent as the kids look back and forth between the men.  
  
"Whatever. I'm going to take a nap. You brats keep it down up here!" Robbie stomps away back to his lair with the parts of his machine in his arms.  
  
"Sportacus, what happened?" Stephanie asks the shocked elf.  
  
"Umm, I'm not sure. I can't really remember." Sportacus finally responds.  
  
"Well they seem fine. Let's go play baseball already!" Stingy adds with a bored tone.  
  
After a chorus of "yeah's!" from the group, they move together towards the field near the edge of town.  
  
Stephanie stays behind, watching Sportacus carefully as he remains kneeling on the ground, looking confused. "Sportacus, are you sure you're okay?" she asks suspiciously.  
  
"Uh," he pauses for a second before blinking his eyes and smiling up at the girl. "Yeah, I'm okay Stephanie. You go play with the others, I'll catch up with you guys later!"  
  
She looks unconvinced, but relents, "Alright then..." before running after the other kids.  
  
Sportacus shakily stands and tries a few flips in the direction of his airship. His nerves from seeing Robbie lying unconscious on the ground seem to have passed, and he lets out a relieved breath, allowing muscle memory to take over. Under the ship, he calls for the ladder and quickly ascends. Once he's inside he goes straight for an apple and some water. The familiar taste of the sportscandy comforts him as he moves towards the front windows and looks down at the end of town with Robbie's lair, remembering the man's strange behavior after he'd woken up in the courtyard.  
  
Could it have really been all a dream? Some sort of visceral hallucination? He thinks back across memories of conversations in situations so strange and different compared to what he's known in this life. He hears Robbie's voice in his mind,  
  
_"I built a machine to transport you to another plane, to get rid of you once and for all. But it malfunctioned. I trapped us in these alternate realities somehow. Our consciousnesses are floating through past and parallel lives, moving on to the next when we recognize each other and remember."_  
  
He shakes his head, finishes off the apple and tosses the core into the garbage chute. It couldn't have possibly been all just in his head. Everything he remembers, everything that had happened between he and Robbie, it had been real. He was sure of it.  
  
Sportacus steers the airship towards Robbie's bunker, determined to confront him about his memories. There must be some reason why Robbie was pretending he didn't also remember, and he needed to know why.

 

* * *

 

Robbie sits in his orange armchair with his head in his hands. Even the comfort of the plush fur couldn't erase the memory of teeth in his flesh, ripping through his throat before he even had a chance to scream. A shiver runs down his spine as he slides his hands down his sweaty face. It was over now. He's home.  
  
He looks up at the sound of the hatch opening and hears someone sliding down the chute into his lair. Robbie frantically wipes the sweat from his brow and schools his expression with a shaky breath. He stands as Sportacus lands on his feet nearby.  
  
"I don't remember inviting you in here. This is private property, Sportaflop," he growls.  
  
"Um, Robbie, I need to talk to you." Sportacus replies nervously, rooted to the spot as he loses his previous feelings of confidence.  
  
"Can't it wait? I was going to take a nap, remember?" Robbie crosses his arms and puts on a look of annoyance.  
  
"Uh, well, this may seem like a strange question but," Sportacus stops, realizing how ridiculous this was going to sound, "did something happen to us? When your machine broke?"  
  
Robbie casts about for a lie, knowing full well he has no memory of the machine breaking, nor whatever happened directly afterwards. "Well obviously you must've run into me and knocked us both out somehow. You seriously need to be more careful, running and flipping around in public like that!" He keeps his arms crossed and looks away, hoping Sportacus would just drop the subject and leave.  
  
Sportacus senses his insincerity and slowly moves closer. "It's weird, you know, I just woke up having the distinct feeling that you and I had been somewhere else while we were unconscious..."  
  
"Yeah, they're called dreams, Sporto." Robbie responds nervously.  
  
"I remember seeing you in a library..." Sportacus continues, moving around to face the hunched man. "And I remember seeing you as a young man, a student at a university, and then..." He watches carefully as Robbie's eyes slide to his face, looking guilty. "I dreamt you were a vampire, Robbie," he smiles at him.  
  
Robbie feels a wave of sorrow as he follows Sportacus' train of thought into his memories of the following life. He looks past Sportacus' face and tears well in his eyes at the memory of the other man lying in a hospital bed, his life slipping away silently.  
  
"Hey, Robbie," Sportacus' face falls as he takes in the other man's expression. He quickly moves to embrace him and speaks gently, "So you do remember, don't you? It was real." He hugs him as Robbie buries his face into his neck and clutches the back of his shirt.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Sportacus," he whimpers.  
  
"Shh, Robbie, please. You saved us remember? You did it, you got us back home!"  
  
"We were stranded in those alternate universes because of _me."_ His voice wavers with restrained emotion. "It was my stupid plan that went wrong in the first place. We could've been trapped like that forever..."  
  
Sportacus pulls back and holds Robbie's face gently with one hand. "I know you didn't mean for that to happen, it wasn't your fault. I told you, Robbie, all that matters is that we would've been together." He smiles and caresses his cheek, "It was an amazing experience anyway, I have to be honest," he laughs. "And I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else," he says softly after a moment. "I love you, Robbie."  
  
Robbie breaks into a small smile, tears threatening to spill over. " _'Amazing experience'_ my ass. You nutcase, you and I both died at least once."

"Well… We got better." Sportacus' mustache perks with his impish grin.

Robbie snorts at the morbidity of it, blinking away tears. He slides his hand to the back of Sportacus' neck. "I love you too." He leans forward and kisses Sportacus softly.

It is a strange feeling, embracing Sportacus in this way in his home. He'd considered the sports elf his greatest enemy for years and had plotted countless schemes against him in this very lair. So much had happened between them since the destruction of Robbie's machine, it was hard to believe that they'd experienced a bit of so many lifetimes in such a short period of time. In reality, they'd both only been unconscious for a handful of minutes.  
  
Robbie smiles as they hold each other close, foreheads touching. He thinks of all the lives they may have lived through if he hadn't been able to return them to LazyTown, all the new situations and strange places he would've met Sportacus over and over for the first time. Falling in love again and again. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

At the sound of a breathy chuckle, Robbie leans back and looks down. "What?" he says with a smile. 

  
"I'm still curious how that figure study turned out." Sportacus grins as Robbie's face turns red. "Do you think you can still draw like that?"  
  
Robbie tries to look annoyed, but fails as a smile breaks through. "Doubtful." After a moment, he raises an eyebrow at the other man, "Why didn't you run away, back when we were in that alley?"  
  
It was Sportacus' turn to blush now, and he looks away.  
  
"You liked it didn't you?" Robbie slowly grins, "When I pinned you against the wall. I was so strong..." He cocks his head as Sportacus laughs nervously, face continuing to flush scarlet. "Did you like it when I did this?" Robbie leans down and runs his teeth up Sportacus neck, smiling as he feels the other man shiver in his arms. He kisses him languidly underneath his jaw.  
  
"Frankly, I was terrified." Sportacus says finally, voice wavering.  
  
Robbie looks at him with heavy lidded eyes. "Liar."  
  
He kisses Sportacus again, this time opening his mouth and feeling the other man sigh, leaning into their embrace. Their tongues slide against each other as Robbie runs his hands down Sportacus' body. They both moan as their hips brush together, each showing signs of their eagerness. Finally Robbie pulls away and begins unbuckling Sportacus' belt as they move towards the armchair. Sportacus slides his vest to the floor and pulls off his shirt and hat before Robbie pushes him backwards into the chair.  
  
"I was thinking about this that day in art class," Robbie speaks with a low voice as he removes layers. He smiles and lets his gaze run over Sportacus' pecs and abs. "You really have such a nice form, Sportaflop." Robbie smirks as Sportacus watches him strip, mesmerized. "It wasn't fair, all those other students getting to see you like that." He steps out of the rest of his clothes and climbs forward onto Sportacus' lap. "This should all be just for me..." he trails off as he slides his hands down Sportacus taut chest, kissing away the other man's gasp as he brushes his nipples and moves to pull his pants farther open.  
  
Sportacus shivers with the feeling of Robbie's hand rubbing his cock through his underwear. He leans back in the chair and lets Robbie slide his pants down around his thighs, panting with the building heat in his lower abdomen. He sweats with the need to thrust, but restrains himself as Robbie settles into his lap. Sportacus takes in all of the other man's pale skin and lean muscles with admiration and slides his hands around with the overwhelming feeling of wanting to touch him everywhere, all at once. He licks his lips before speaking with a gravelly voice, "This is all for you, Robbie. I'm yours now."  
  
Robbie growls as he pulls the remaining clothing sharply over the other man's hips. He moves forward until their erections slide together, breathing hard at the sparks of electricity that run under his skin with the friction. He crowds Sportacus, biting his neck softly as they move their hips against each other. He murmurs in his ear, "That's right." He licks his palm generously before returning to suck at Sportacus' neck.  
  
Sportacus moans at the feeling of Robbie's wet hand enclosing around both their cocks, stroking laboriously. As Robbie picks up speed, Sportacus throws his head back and groans unabashedly, reeling at the sensation. Sportacus holds Robbie's hips firmly as they move together and mumbles praise. "You feel so good, Robbie. You're so beautiful. I love you."  
  
Robbie moans into Sportacus' neck at the words and pants with exertion. His hand moves faster, squeezing as he runs his thumb over the tips. He feels tears in his eyes as he begins to lose himself, realizing just how long he's wanted this. "I love you too, I love you so much. I love you, I love you..." He whispers the words into Sportacus' damp skin with fervor and remembers just how much he would give for this man. The love of his life, his soulmate. He really would do anything for him. He cries out with the thought, falling over the edge.  
  
Sportacus wraps his arms around Robbie and smiles, listening to him gasp and twitch in his lap. He's never been happier in his entire life than he is right now.  
  
When Robbie leans back to take stock of the mess, he realizes what was left unfinished.  
  
Sportacus breathes heavily and smiles. "It's okay, Robbie. That was amazing."  
  
Robbie moves down onto the floor with a look of determination. "Lift your hips," he commands. Sportacus does as he's told and Robbie slides what's left of his clothing down and off his legs.  
  
"Robbie, you don't have to -" He stops at the look he's given, an unspoken plea to rectify and repay past mistakes. Sportacus sighs at the unnecessary emotion in Robbie's eyes, but allows him to spread his knees.  
  
Robbie slides his hands up Sportacus' thighs and speaks with a low voice, "I know you've already forgiven me for what I did..." Sportacus watches carefully as Robbie avoids his eyes. "But things really could have ended up so much worse. I want you to know that I'm never going to let anything like that ever happen again." Robbie finally looks up with pained sincerity, "I want you to be here. In LazyTown. I want you to stay."  
  
Sportacus' eyebrows pinch and he smiles at the enormous wave of affection he feels for the other man. "Robbie, you know I'm not going anywhere." He leans forward and kisses him firmly, holding his face.  
  
"I know." Robbie smiles. He gently presses Sportacus to lean back again and rises on his knees. He immediately moves forward to lick a long stripe up the front of Sportacus' cock, watching it twitch with renewed interest and listening to Sportacus' gasp. He holds Sportacus' gaze as he slowly sinks his lips around the tip and tongues the head.  
  
Sportacus suddenly feels out of breath with the intense sensation. He moans in the back of his throat and sighs, "I love you so much."  
  
Robbie closes his eyes as he takes more length, bobbing his head and swirling his tongue. He slides his fingers down to press against Sportacus' perineum and smiles at the subsequent shout. He massages the area as he picks up speed, hollowing his cheeks. Sportacus sees stars when he finally comes, one hand holding onto the chair for dear life, the other in Robbie's hair. As coherent thoughts trickle back, he can feel his whole body tremor with lingering bolts of pleasure and he looks down with wide eyes. Robbie simply wipes his mouth with a smirk and moves to crawl back into the chair with Sportacus.  
  
"I love you too, Sportacus." he replies simply, saying the words for what feels like the thousandth time. They stay there curled around each other for a while, basking in the afterglow. Robbie closes his eyes and thinks about how he looks forward to saying those words the next thousandth time, and the time after that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for everyone's patience with the updates on this fic, as well as all the support in the comments. And a /huge/ thank you to mx-perditus for all their help with this. I couldn't have done it without you! :)


End file.
